The Guardian of the Avatar
by Soleneus
Summary: The Spirits have seen the Avatar's journey, and decide that it is time to intervene. A cheerful, mysterious man named Sun comes upon the Southern Water Tribe and meets the Avatar, setting off a new chain of events that will change the fate of the world. Destiny is not what it once was.
1. The Start of a Journey

Snowflakes slowly drifted from the overcast sky, lazily twirling through the air to land on the surface of the water beneath it. The prow of a small boat cut through the water, the rhythmic splashing of an oar hitting the sea was joined by the humming of the one sitting in the boat.

The man in the boat sighed to himself, shaking his blond hair free of snowflakes. "I hope I reach the Southern Water Tribe before nightfall," He muttered to himself, "It's always a bad idea to be out on the water when the snow starts falling."

His blue eyes fell into a dead-pan look. "And I'm going to go crazy if I don't find someone else to talk to. It turns out I'm a horrible conversationalist with no one else around. Who knew?"

Adjusting the dark orange scarf around his neck, the young man continued rowing, humming a tuneless melody. Jumping slightly as his boat came to a sudden stop, the blond man broke out into a wide smile, the whisker-like marks on his cheeks stretching. Before him lay a large, flat iceberg, and just within his vision he could spot a white wall.

The wall was definitely not made by the wind, not unless a wind spirit liked making lookout towers for some reason.

Easily hopping from the small wooden boat, the man proceeded to pull it on top of the ice, withdrawing a large pack that he hefted on to his back with minimal fuss. "Don't go anywhere." He said jokingly, patting the boat like a pet.

Setting off towards the distant encampment, the man whistled and would skip every couple of steps, his pack jingling. "Halt!" A young voice cried as he approached a hole in the wall. "Who goes there?"

Spotting a pair of children peeking at him over a pile of snow, the young man waved and smiled brightly. "Hello there! I'm just a wanderer, looking for shelter and trade!" He paused when he noticed that the pile of snow had blue eyes that were narrowed in suspicion. "Is…there an adult I can speak to?"

One of the kids pushed the other and whispered something to her. She scrambled away as the blond man carefully stepped closer.

The pile of snow burst as a young, lanky teen popped out of it, holding a Water-Tribe club above his head threateningly. "Don't come any closer or the warriors of the Water-Tribe will make you regret it!"

Taking the step back, the other man held his hands out and open. "Easy there, I'm not looking to make any trouble." He said soothingly.

"Sokka!" An elderly voice called out, "Stop threatening the man. Don't you have a wall to rebuild?"

"Gran-Gran!" Sokka whined, his arms falling, "I'm trying to be fearsome!"

Gran-Gran silently pointed away, and the young man sighed and trotted off, but not before shooting the blond wanderer another suspicious look and pointing at his eyes, then pointing at the man in a very clear, 'I'm watching you' gesture.

The other man quirked an eyebrow at the retreating Sokka before smiling at the elder. "Hello there! I don't mean anyone any harm, I'm just a wanderer. I'm looking for a place to stay and trade, that's all."

Gran-Gran looked at him closely, and then nodded. "What is your name, young one?"

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself," The blond man bowed low, his pack sliding up and smacking the back of his head. "My name is Naruto, though I go by Sun."

The elder's eyes rolled up to look at Sun's shock of bright blond hair. "I can see why," She muttered, before looking at him straight. "You are welcome to stay, though I'm afraid we don't have much in the way of trading."

Sun bowed again, this time making sure his pack didn't slide. "Thank you very much. I don't have much to trade either, but I'm willing to work for a bed and meal." He remarked easily, following the old woman as she walked into the main area of the Southern Water Tribe.

"That would work. Can you sew at all?" She asked, leading him to a tent.

"I'm not the best at it, but sure I can. I repair my own clothes regularly." Sun replied, ducking into the tent, coming upon a scene of several girls, all wearing Water Tribe furs, worked to repair a fishing net together.

They paused as the stranger entered their midst with Gran-Gran, who proceeded to introduce him. "Ladies, this young man is Sun. He will be helping us…though I did forget to ask, how long will you be staying here?" The last part was directed at him.

He sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I don't really know. I kinda just…wander. I'll do my best not to overstay my welcome, though."

Gran-Gran nodded and directed him to sit next to a young woman who wore her brown hair in simple bun that connected to loops from her bangs.

Setting aside his pack and taking up a needle and thread, the blond man got to work on the net. "Hi there. What's your name?" He asked cheerfully.

The young woman, who had the usual tanned skin of the Water Tribe, though with deep, emphatic blue eyes, smiled nervously at Sun. "I'm Katara. It's nice to meet you."

His easy smile that reached his bright blue eyes did much to soothe her suspicion. No one could smile like that and not mean it. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"I like your scarf." She complimented with a small smile.

"I like your hair loopies," He replied with, returning the favor. Sun settled in and got to work, occasionally flinching in pain when he inevitably pricked his fingers.

"Er, here, you should hold the needle like this," Katara interjected, nudging the blond man to get his attention.

Sucking his finger, Sun observed as the tribal held her needle in a different way, noticing that she was well-practiced and very quick with her motions. Shifting his grip, he smiled as the task became easier and far less painful. "Thanks, Katara. Is there anything else I'm doing wrong?" He held up the length of net he had been working on to show it to her.

The other girls, who had been subtly watching the bright-haired stranger, took that opportunity to chime in.

…

Later, after the net had been fully fixed and stored away, Sun sat around a large campfire with the Southern Water Tribe, gleefully telling them tales of his travels (with minor embellishments) and enjoy a bowl of delightfully salty stewed seaprunes.

"So, after the last one falls, I look up to see that their leader has abandoned them and is running away with his tail between his legs and the governor's daughter over his shoulder." He explained, hunched over the fire for dramatic effect. "And so, in one mighty leap, I jumped the distance and landed on his head, making him throw the girl in the air and trip, hitting his head on a rock and knocking him out. I caught the girl and stood over his unconscious form and declared," Sun puffed up his chest and posed. "You really should've quit while you were ahead."

Giggles erupted from the gathered kids, joined with the chuckles from the older women. "Alright, you little penguin hatchlings," Gran-Gran started, a smile on her weathered face, "That's enough excitement for one night. Time for bed."

"Awww!" A chorus of sad voices piped up, but the women would have none of it, and hustled the younglings off to bed.

"Do you mind if I make some tea?" Sun asked, taking a seat between Gran-Gran and Katara and reaching for his pack.

"Of course, go ahead."

He retrieved a battered kettle from his pack and scooped a good amount of snow inside of it before setting over the flickering fire. "Do you have any preference?" The blond man questioned, opening the top of a white teapot. "I particularly enjoy white jasmine on colder nights."

Gran-Gran smiled thankfully and nodded. "That would be wonderful, thank you."

As the water boiled, the rest of the tribe, now bereft of children, circled around the fire again. "That was an interesting tale you made up, Sun." Katara commented, rubbing her hands over the flames. "Where did you get it from?"

Silence answered her.

Looking at the friendly blond man, she was surprised to see a bemused smile on his face as he blinked blankly. "….Made up?" He finally uttered, automatically retrieving the kettle when it whistled.

Sokka nodded, "Well, obviously. No one could jump as far as you did in that story." He explained, giving the confused Sun a look that said, 'are you dumb?'

While his hands were occupied pouring water into the pot and adding the leaves, Sun glanced around the fire and saw similar, though less apparent, looks on their faces. "I didn't make that up. I really did that." He insisted, stirring the tea.

The only other male rolled his eyes. "Oh really, you defeated a gang of Earthbending bandits all by yourself-"

Sun thrust a piece of paper at Sokka with a dissatisfied frown. On the paper was the sketch of a thickly-muscled man with a bald head, except for a topknot and a large, pointy beard. Next to his face was several words, reading, 'Wanted: Gonjo the Rockslide', and under that was a stamp with a seal, meaning the person on the poster had been brought in and the bounty paid. Following that, Sun handed a piece of stationery with a broken wax seal.

It read: _Dear Sun, I want to thank you again for rescuing me from those bandits and bringing me home. If you're ever in the area again, please visit my estate and come see me again! ~Love, Kaia._

Next to the signature, which was encapsulated within a heart, was a mark made by lipstick-covered lips being pressed against the paper.

Sokka read both the poster and the letter out-loud, and when he finished, every one of the tribal's had wide eyes, and were looking at the blond man with no small amount of awe.

"That was real?" Katara asked incredulously, accepting a cup of tea from Sun.

Sun nodded, taking the papers back. "Yeah, I wouldn't make something like that up…though, there were only six bandits with the leader, not ten. I rounded up on that."

Sokka shook his head rapidly, crossing his arms. "Okay, so the bandits and the girl were true, but I'm saying no way to the leaping!" He protested loudly.

Sun glanced around the tribe, spotting the snow-built watch tower standing above the wall. "Alright, I'll prove, Pony-tail. See that tower?" He pointed, as they looked, he quickly stood and disappeared in a blur.

"What about my mighty tower, Sun-hea-where'd he go?" The other boy questioned.

They all whipped around just in time to see Sun, with his orange scarf and white cape fluttering in the wind as he sailed through the air, alighting on top of the tower and waving down at them

Despite the spindly appearance of the 'mighty' tower, Sun stood on it with sure footing, and it didn't collapse. Kneeling, he leapt into the air again, nearly flying through the air to land in his previous spot with only a small puff of snow.

He bowed grandly to the awestruck Water Tribe with a wide smile. "How did you do that?" Katara asked in amazement. "Are…are you an Airbender?"

Sun blinked, taken aback. No had discerned that so quickly. "Well, I've never been formally trained," He admitted, "Kind of a hard thing to do when all the Airbenders are…not here anymore."

"But you are one?" She insisted, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

Sighing, Sun nodded and held out his hand. Air became visible as it swirled in his palm, and the gathered tribals gasped. "But…I'm not just an Airbender." Sun said with a small frown. The air swirled in his palm violently before they erupted into a ball of sunny yellow flames, shining in the dark like a beacon.

The Water Tribe drew back in shock as Sun clenched his hand, extinguishing the flames. "You-you…" Gran-Gran murmured, her eyes wide and jaw slack.

"I know what you're going to say," He cut across quickly, shaking his head. "I'm not the Avatar."

"How do you know that?" Katara asked, somewhat desperately.

Sun shrugged helplessly. "I dunno. I just feel it. Besides, I don't have an animal familiar. And I'm not over a hundred years old. And I've never heard of the Avatar being able to bend things other than the elements." To demonstrate, he retrieved a seed from one of his pockets and held his hand out. His other hand hovered above it, making small twirling and beckoning motions, and before their very eyes, a green shoot emerged from the seed, roots crawling over his hand and hanging through his fingers as a white lotus bloomed in his palm.

Sun held it out to Katara, who took it gingerly, staring at the very real flower in her hand. "How?" Was all she could say.

Sun shrugged. "I dunno."

…

The crescent moon rose into the sky, hanging over the South Pole like an amused grin of some nearly invisible creature.

Sitting beneath it with his legs crossed, Sun breathed deeply and slowly, trying to focus his thoughts. "I shouldn't have showed them that." He muttered, opening his eyes to gaze at the dark horizon. "I've always had a problem with showing off…I blame my Master."

Glancing to his side, Sun could very nearly see the blue haze of a spirit with wild hair and a long tail, pointing and laughing at him, rolling on the floor in mirth.

Glaring, Sun smacked some snow at the haze, dispelling it. Taking a deep breath, he flopped on to his back and sighed explosively.

"The Spirits have led me here for some reason…" He murmured to the moon. "Why? What is so important at the South Pole that requires my attention?"

The moon didn't answer. He wasn't in the North Pole, after all.

…

Before anyone really knew, two weeks had passed since Sun had arrived in the Southern Water Tribe. And to them, it seemed as if he had always been there. His presence, attitude and personality attracted them like moths to a flame, without the threat of being burned.

Even Sokka, ever-paranoid, had warmed up to the blond man considerably, though the pranks had put a dampener on that.

And then there were the pranks. Sun had taken to setting up harmless little traps around the tribe, and had even gotten the little kids in on the fun. There wasn't a day that went by that didn't have Sokka step into a rope that whipped him up into the air and dunked his head into a bucket full of mashed seaweed, or a tripwire that launched a snowball filled with sea-prune jelly at his face. Even Katara got in a few pranks.

And then there was Katara…

The young woman approached an oddly quiet Sun as he sat near the sea, his back turned to her. "What are you doing?" She asked.

The blond man yelped in surprise and jumped, flinging the ball of water held between his hands up into the air where it lost shape, raining freezing cold water down on them. "Oh, sorry!" He apologized with an embarrassed blush, twisting his wrist and bending the water off of them.

"You know how to bend water?" She asked with a hopeful look on her face.

Sun nodded with a small smile, his arms flowing as a tendril of water rose from the surface and floated in front of him. Snapping his hands, the tendril took shape and quickly froze as a lily made of ice, which he presented to Katara with a smile. "A pretty snow flower for a pretty snow flower," He flirted with a friendly wink.

Blushing, the young woman cleared her throat, holding it out to him. "The, uh, the reason I ask is-" She trailed off as Sun snapped part of the stem off and tucked the ice bloom behind her ear. "Ahem, is because I'm a Waterbender, too."

"Really?" The cheerful man asked, looking excited. "Show me!"

Taking what she felt was the right stance, Katara waved her arms, concentrating on the water, a small tendril poking from the surface and waving about. Slowly, it floated into the air, forming into an orb, before slowly thinning out into a hoop of water. It dropped back into the water with a splash and a disappointed huff from Katara, who turned to Sun, expecting an unimpressed look.

Sun gaped at her unabashedly, eyes wide and glittering. "You've never been taught?" He asked slowly.

She shook her head, and the blond's jaw fell even farther. "Wow!" He yelled, "That's really impressive! I could barely get to water to ripple when I started out, and you can do that! Imagine if you got a teacher!"

Blushing at the unexpected praise, Katara rubbed her arm sheepishly. "You really think so?"

"Yeah!" Sun replied excitedly. "Oh man, I wish I had known, I would've brought my Waterbending scrolls!"

The blond man flopped on the ground suddenly, cupping his head. "I didn't think I would need them, I'm so sorry!" He apologized tearfully.

Sun quickly leaped back up, taking her hands in his and bouncing in place. "But I do know how to Waterbend, and I can teach you!"

He was suddenly crouching, drawing a circle in the snow, dejectedly muttering, "But I'm not very good, what if I teach you wrong and you get hurt? Oh, I couldn't take that!"

He popped back up and clasped her hands again. "But I will do my very best to help you on this road!"

Katara blinked rapidly, confused as to how someone could have that many mood-swings in ten seconds. "Wait, you'd really teach me?" She asked incredulously.

Sun nodded rapidly, his blond hair shaking as he silently held two thumbs up.

"Thank you!" She cried, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

After a few seconds, Katara quickly withdrew with red cheeks and looked away from Sun, coughing in embarrassment as the blond man cleared his throat, his face also flushed.

"So, yeah, when do you want to get started?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Right now!" She answered enthusiastically.

And so, that was how Katara found herself a Waterbending teacher, albeit not a master. Sun taught her the best he could, though he warned her that most of what he knew was self-taught. Along with using water as a whip, he taught her how to create a shield made of ice (and make ice) and how to skate, though that was with bending. Katara already knew how to ice-skate, she lived in the South Pole.

It all led up to the situation they now found themselves in. Katara, along with Sokka and Sun, had gone on a hunting trip around the pole in a canoe. Taking this as a learning opportunity, the blond man began teaching the lady among them how to catch fish using bending.

"Think of where the fish will go," He instructed, gently leading Katara's hand. "Subtly use the currents to direct the fish where you want it to, and when it arrives…"

She clenched her hand and pulled it up, trapping a large silver fish in a bubble above the water. "Yes!" She cheered, trading high-fives with Sun.

Their parade was rained on by Sokka, who had not been paying attention and was focused on another fish in the water, drawing back his spear to…spear it. The butt of his spear popped the bubble, dropping water on top of them. Sun quickly snatched their catch out of the air and stored it in a box filled with ice, turning an annoyed look on Sokka along with Katara.

"You just had to use your magic water mumbo-jumbo and now I'm soaking wet…and we don't have any fish!" He complained, pointing the butt of the spear at the two of them.

Sun snorted and bent the water off of him and Katara, who nudged open the box to show her brother that they had caught six fish between them…which was six fish more than him.

Before she could speak up to berate him, the canoe jerked, throwing them to bottom as it got caught up in a fast current that swept them through a treacherous course of floes. Managing to sit up, Sun quickly bent the water and the boat away from the iceberg they were about to collide with, but not quick enough to prevent the aft end from being crushed between it and another floe.

They leapt from the sinking canoe to safety, the blond managing to grab the box of fish and bring it with him. The trio watched in dismay as the wooden prow disappeared under the ice cold water, never to be seen again.

Turning on the two benders with a frown, Sokka used his spear to point at the spot the boat sunk. "Now look what you did!"

Katara scowled and bent a whip at her brother's head. Wisely realizing the danger, he ducked and the whip missed, traveling through the water and impacting into an iceberg across from them.

With a great crack, the berg split in two and splashed into the sea, causing a large wave to shake the floe they stood on. After the water settled and the trio ad regained their footing, they beheld something unnatural.

A small iceberg, comparatively, popped out of the water. It was mostly round and seemed hollow, the inside glowing and casting blue light.

Sun swallowed nervously, his skin tingling. "Spirits…" He murmured quietly, eyes wide.

Katara skated over the water to examine the strange iceberg while Sun jumped over and joined her, leaving Sokka behind. "Oh sure, just leave me behind, why don't ya." He grumbled, hopping over to them on a few floating patches of ice.

"I think there's someone inside of there," His sister said quietly, peering through the thick sheet of ice.

Inside of the hollow iceberg, the form of someone could be seen sitting down in a meditative position, though their features were shadowed by the light.

The figure opened its' eyes, causing Katara to gasp. She pulled the club off of Sokka's back and started slamming it against the iceberg. "They're alive in there!" She cried as the club hit the ice once more.

The hollow cracked and burst, a spear of light piercing through the clouds and into the sky as a wave of wind washed over the trio, nearly tossing them into water after blinding them.

As the pillar of light faded, they uncovered their eyes to see the figure standing on the ice above them, looking down on them with glowing eyes. The glow quickly faded, and the person flopped to the ground bonelessly, sliding down the short incline to rest at their feet.

Katara, ever the mothering sort, was by the boy's side nearly instantly, gently patting his face.

The boy was obviously young, just on the cusp of being a teenager. But what stood out about him most was the blue arrow tattoo that ended on his forehead and drew back over the top of his bald head and disappeared into the collar of his orange and yellow robes.

Drawing back with a muted gasp of shock, Sun couldn't help but stare at the boy slowly regaining consciousness. "The Avatar…" He whispered, though neither of the two tribals heard him.

Groaning lightly, the boy slowly opened his eyes. "I need…to ask you something…"

Katara cautiously asked, "What?"

"Come closer…" She leaned in with a concerned look on her face.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" He asked in a normal, boisterous voice.

Katara blinked in surprise and leaned back at the sudden volume. "Uh, sure. I guess."

The Avatar casually bent the air around him and floated to his feet, looking around him and scratching the back of his head, ignoring Sokka leaping back in alarm. "What's going on here?"

"You tell us!" Sokka replied, pointing the sharp end of his spear at the boy. "How'd you get in the ice? And why aren't you frozen?"

The young boy batted the spear away from, opening his mouth to reply, when a deep, low groan came from within the hollowed-out shell of the iceberg. "Appa!" He cried, jumping over the lip of ice crater. "Are you alright? Wake up, buddy!"

Sokka and Katara climbed up the lip, leaving a still gaping Sun standing alone. He blinked blankly and slowly followed them, his eyes going even wider when they fell on a six-legged, thickly-furred creature with a pair of horn on it's head, and in between those two was an arrow of discolored fur. Along with the arrow, what also stood out about the large animal was its very large, flat tail.

"What is that thing?" Sokka asked, examining the animal suspiciously.

"That's Appa, my flying bison." The boy replied cheerfully.

The Water Tribe warrior rolled his eyes and jacked a thumb at his sister. "Right, and this is Katara, my flying sister."

Sun, still stunned, watched their interactions with a blank look. Even Appa sneezing on Sokka garnered no response.

"The paranoid one is Sokka, my brother, and the silent one is Sun, our friend." Katara introduced politely, after her brother accused the innocent-looking boy of being a Fire Nation spy. "You never told us your name."

The boy went to answer, but was interrupted by a loud, explosive sneeze that sent him sailing into the air. He landed easily and slid down in front of them with a smile. "I'm Aang!"

"You just sneezed…and flew ten feet in the air." Sokka commented dryly, shooting a look at Sun. The blond was the only other person he'd ever seen go that far.

"You're an Airbender!" Katara declared, pointing at Aang with a shocked look.

"Not just an Airbender," Sun spoke up for the first time. "He's the Avatar."

Aang looked panicked, his grey eyes going wide. "N-no, no I'm not!" He tried to deny.

"Airbender, animal familiar, it's possible the ice did freeze him…" Sokka muttered thoughtfully. "And do you feel it?" He asked Sun.

The blond man nodded seriously. "I do. Aang is definitely the Avatar."

The young Avatar sighed in dismay, hanging his head. "Yeah, I am. How did you know, though?"

Sun shook his head. "That's not something I can answer right now," He replied, uncharacteristically serious. "However, we do need to get back home. Nightfall isn't far off, and it's never smart to out in the tundra during the night."

Aang perked back up, smiling. "Well, if you guys need a lift, Appa and I can take you!"

He jumped onto Appa's head and took up the reins attached to the bison's horns. Katara thanked him and climbed into the saddle on Appa while Sokka crossed his arms.

"No way! No way am I getting on that fluffy snot monster!" He denied, turning away.

His sister gave him an unimpressed look as Sun climbed up next to her. "What, are you going to wait for some other monster to give you a ride? You know, before you freeze to death?"

Her brother sighed in defeat and climbed on, and Aang grasped the reins. "Alright, first time fliers, hold on tight!" He flicked the reins and shouted, "Yip-yip!"

Appa raised his tail and slammed it onto the ice, launching them into the air…before they splashed back down into the water.

"Wow," Sokka muttered sarcastically. "That was truly amazing."

Aang patted his horned friends' head comfortingly as he lowed. "He's just tired! Don't worry, buddy, take your time."

Sun sat in the saddle comfortably, watching Aang with a very serious gleam in his eyes, muttering to himself under his breath. "At the rate we're going, we won't make it back home until tomorrow," He spoke up suddenly. "It would be a good idea to get to sleep soon."

Having said his piece, the normally cheerful blond man drew his cape around him like a blanket and laid down, falling asleep within seconds. Katara and Sokka exchanged shrugs, and her brother stuck a piece of blubbered seal jerky in his mouth before kicking back. His sister, on the other hand, spent the next few hours switching between shooting worried looks Sun's way and shooting questioning looks Aang's way.

However, in another world, Sun was having an important conversation.

He opened his eyes, finding himself standing on top of a mountain. Similar rocky, nearly barren mountains spread as far as the eye could see, each peak rising far above the clouds, the light of a nearly-setting sun glinting off of the rocks.

Sun suddenly crouched and rolled back, avoiding a projectile that would've hit his face in the process and catching another, hurling it back at the source. An orange blur flipped over the object, landing in the branches of a tree.

"Mhmh, staying on your toes, I see, my student." The spirit slipped from the tree, hanging by the branch by its' long orange tail.

With his hairy arms and legs and long, prehensile tail, he looked very much like a monkey. A monkey with a human face, wearing loose blue clothes and a mischievous smile.

Sun sighed and gave his master a fond, if exasperated, look. "Master, we need to talk, not throw pies at each other…which I would win if you didn't cheat with your tail, you old monkey!"

The monkey man giggled excitedly. "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying!"

"Yes, I know…you old bastard." He muttered, before coughing into his fist. "Anyway, when you said I was to be the Avatar's Spiritual Guide, I didn't expect him to be a kid. And I certainly didn't expect him to be running away from his destiny."

The monkey man frowned, playfully wagging his finger. "I gave you part of my name, the least you could do is use the rest of it. You'll break your poor old master's heart!"

Sun sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, Master Wu, my questions still stand. Why didn't you tell me more?"

Master Wu grimaced, flipping from his perch and alighting on the ground. "Spirits have rules, as you know, one of which is non-interference. And not interfering includes telling one's challenges they will face in life. After all, that's what makes life a challenge, no?"

Wu giggled again and Sun nodded reluctantly. "That is true…but what about the Avatar? If he runs from his destiny much longer, there won't be four nations to balance."

"One most often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it," His master replied wisely, leaning on the tree, snacking on a peach.

Sun narrowed his eyes on the monkey spirit. "You must've stolen that from some far wiser spirit," He declared dryly. "There's no way you could actually be that wise."

Wu flipped over him, hanging precariously over the edge of the mountain. "You would be surprised at the depths one posses when their surface seems so shallow, my student. And that is also why the Spirits linked your destiny to the Avatar's. When we first became aware of you, most of them wanted you dead." He explained, losing his amusement. "You had no destiny, no fate, you changed the fate of others just by existing, and even now, your future is still cloudy, despite their efforts. But…"

"You took me under your wing, and trained me." Sun recounted with a small, genuine smile. "A student who would use your teachings to change the world."

"And play the greatest prank of them all, on everyone, Humans and Spirits alike." Wu smiled widely, showing surprisingly sharp teeth. "The fate they hold so sovereign, the destiny the see as inexorable, changed beyond their wildest dreams, by one they would've ended, all because they were afraid. Afraid of the unknown. But I, I don't fear the unknown, I love it! So many new things to discover, so many new things to learn, so many new people to trick and make themselves look like fools!"

Wu giggled happily, doing a short back-flip that ended with him reclining on the rocks as if they were cushions. "But that is the farthest even my interference can go before the big ones decided to attack me." He admitted with a shrug. "I have given you the tools and the training to succeed, and it's now up to you do so. All I can offer is my occasional guidance, to point you in the right direction…well, maybe not the _right_ direction, at first anyway. I have to amuse myself somehow."

Rolling his eyes, Sun turned away and watched the setting sun as it disappeared beyond the horizon. "Evil old monkey…" He grumbled, kicking a pebble off the mountain. "I can see your meaning, Master Wu. Thank you for telling me."

"You are my only student, young Sun." He replied with a nod, "I may not be able to tell you everything, but what I can, I won't hide. But for now, I believe it is time for you to sleep." His tail rose from behind a rock, a cream pie balanced delicately on the tip.

Sun turned to his master to say good-bye and was met with a face full of cream. The sudden impact made him stumble and fall from the mountain, his muffled shout ringing through the air.

Wu giggled as the stars blinked into the sky.

…

"Not the pie again." Sun muttered in his sleep, causing Katara to give him a strange look.

…

The next morning, the group arrived at the Southern Water Tribe and introduced Aang to them.

"Aang, this is entire Water Tribe. Entire Water Tribe, this is Aang." Katara introduced.

The tribe drew back a little as he waved, and he asked the young woman next to him why that was.

"No one's seen an Airbender, not since they went extinct…or so we thought." Gran-Gran explained, her eyes shifting to a stretching Sun.

"Extinct?!" Aang said loudly.

Katara quickly grabbed the young Airbender by the arm and gestured to the old woman. "Aang, this is my grandmother."

"Call me Gran-Gran." She replied simply.

Sokka, having watched the conversation from in front of their tent, decided to ask a question that had been on his mind, Sokka-style. "What is this, a weapon?" He asked, snatching the staff Aang carried with him, examining it with a critical eye. "You can't even stab anything with it!"

Aang bent a current of air, pulling the staff back into his hands. "It's not for stabbing, it's for Airbending!" He replied, spinning his staff and causing two wing-like cloth pieces to pop out, with two smaller ones on the bottom. "It lets me bend air currents around me and fly."

"Last time I checked, humans can't fly." Sokka retorted dryly. Sun arched an eyebrow at him. "That was jumping, not flying."

"I'll show you!" The Avatar said with a smile, crouching and leaping into the air. He held onto his glider and flew through the air with ease, looping and flipping through the air to the awe of the Water Tribe.

"Can you do that?" Sokka whispered to Sun, who nodded and pulled on the knee-length white cape hanging on his back.

"What, do you think I wear a cape because they're awesome?" He asked rhetorically, sticking his arms through small cloth hoops in fabric and stretching it out. Sun knelt and jumped, sailing into the air to join Aang in the sky.

Compared to the young Airbender, Sun's flying was somewhat rougher, but that was to be expected. Only one of them had actually been trained to do so.

The two of them looped and twirled around each other, putting on a show for the watching tribals. Showing off, the blond flipped onto his back and put his hands behind his head. Aang answered by closing his eyes and flying sideways, the grin on both of their faces showing how much they were enjoying flying.

Sun rolled around just in time to see the watchtower made of snow looming in front of him. Quickly, he flipped and landed on the tower, gently pushing off of the snow and landing on the ground safely.

The other Airbender was not so lucky, and plowed into the tower of snow head-first, knocking it over, to Sokka's dismay.

Still smiling, Sun heaved Aang out of the snow and onto his feet as the Water Tribe warrior desperately tried to prop his tower back up, only for it to collapse on top of him.

"You're an Airbender?" Aang asked with surprise and delight.

The blond nodded, before sticking out his hand and wobbling it. "…Ish. I'll tell you more later."

Katara ran up to join them with wide, glittering eyes. "That was a amazing! I didn't know you could fly!" She exclaimed in amazement.

Sokka pulled himself out from under his collapsed tower and stalked off, grumbling.

…

Later that day, Sun stood in the center of a ring, surrounded by pillars of ice he had just formed, breathing deeply. He retrieved a silver coin from one of his pouches and placed it on his thumb, flicking it into the air.

As soon as the spinning silver disk left his hand, he burst into action, acrobatically spinning and swinging, bending water from the snow and lashing out at the pillars around him. Moving as fast as he could, Sun attacked the pillars with whips and slashes, grunting with effort.

As he whipped his hand down, slicing the last pillar in half, the coin fell in front of his face and landed on the ground with a soft _ping_.

"Damn it." He sighed, wiping the seat from his brow, kneeling to pick up the coin. "I'm still not as fast as I'd like to be."

He bent more pillars up from the snow and breathed deep, before flicking the coin into the air and attacking again. As his whip lashed out and smashed a pillar, a sudden flare of light from off in the distance startled him, causing Sun to lose his footing and tumble to the ground.

He narrowed his eyes as the flare arced in the sky. "Why is there a Fire Nation flare in sky above the South Pole?" He asked himself. "That can't be good."

The coin bounced off of his head and landed in the snow with a sad _plink_. Snatching the coin up and pocketing it, Sun leaped off, back towards the Water Tribe.

…

When he arrived, a palpable aura of sadness permeated the village, causing Sun to frown thoughtfully. He spied Katara marching angrily away from the village, stopping and kneeling some distance away with her face in her hands.

Pushing off, he landed next to her quietly and sat down. "What's wrong, Katara? Did something happen?"

She quickly wiped her angry tears away and faced the blond man. "Yes! Sokka banished Aang!"

Sun's face fell slack. "What? Why?"

She looked away, ashamed. "It was…we went penguin sledding, and ended up near the Fire Nation ship that's been there for years…and is forbidden to go to. We-"

"You went exploring the ship and ended up setting off a booby-trap." He finished, looking unsurprised.

"You know?" Katara asked in surprise.

"Yeah," He nodded, "It's Fire Nation policy to trap every ship they lose. And I saw the flare. Kinda hard not to."

She nodded unhappily and continued her story. "After we came back, Sokka banished him!"

Sun narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Why do you sound so upset about this? I mean, you've known Aang for nearly a day."

"Well," She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "He offered to take me to North Pole, so that I could learn from a master…" Realizing who she was talking, Katara waved her hands, "Not that I don't like learning from you, it's just…"

"My style of bending doesn't work for you." He finished with a nod. "I know. Katara, I have been to the North Pole and have learned at the feet of a Master…and I sucked at it. You, on the other hand, would only benefit from the rigidity of a schedule like that."

Katara slumped as he put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, I'll never find out now. Aang is gone and so are my chances."

Sun frowned, shaking her slightly. "What am I, chopped seal liver? You know I came here on a boat, right? It's more than big enough for two people. And with our Waterbending, we would make good time."

"I…" She blinked in surprise, her eyes watering. "You would do that for me?"

"Of course I would. You're my friend, right?" At her happy nod, Sun smiled and gave her a one-armed hug. "There are always more options than what appear at first, Katara. If you want to, we can be gone within the hour."

Katara sighed and shook her head, turning and giving the blond a full hug. "I can't do that, even though I want to. I don't want to leave Gran-Gran and Sokka with what I said. I don't think I could take that."

Sun patted her back and put his hands on her shoulders. "Let's go talk to them, maybe we can change their minds if we work together."

"I doubt that, but I would like to try." She stood up and dusted herself off, sniffing. Sun stood with her, offering his arm. Katara smiled and took it, and they walked back to the tribe together. "Thanks for listening, Sun. You're a good friend."

He winked playfully at her. "I couldn't just let you be all alone and sad, Katara, you're much to pretty."

She playfully shoved him away and laughed with him, though it petered out when they became aware of the greyish-black snow falling from the sky.

"Oh no." Katara whispered worriedly. "The Fire Nation."

"Get on my back," Sun ordered, kneeling in front of her. "I'm faster."

Wordlessly, she hopped onto his back and held on as he sprinted towards the tribe at great speeds. He slid to a stop just inside the walled area as it began to shake, Katara hopping off to go help hide some of the kids.

Sokka stood on his crumbling wall as the black prow of a Fire Nation vessel rose above him. "Sokka, get out of the way!" His sister cried.

As the prow of the ship met the wall, the wall crumbled into a pile, taking Sokka with it. They all stared up at the length of black metal in fear and trepidation as it steamed ominously. With a hellish screech of metal on metal, the prow of the ship tilted and fell onto the snow, forming a ramp for a company of armored Firebenders to descend from.

Their leader, who seemed to have a scar on the right side of his face, though it was hard to tell from the helmet, stepped down the ramp with a haughty spring in his step.

Sokka, having gathered his courage, charged at the leader with his war club held high over his head. The leader calmly and expertly kicked the weapon out of his hands, and in the same motion, kicked Sokka in the face and into a pile of snow.

The Water Tribe drew back in fear at the ease shown by the Fire Nation in defeating their only warrior.

Sun, crouched behind the crowd of tribals, watching the events transpiring through their legs, narrowed his eyes as the leader approached Katara and Gran-Gran. "Where are you hiding him?!" He barked angrily, making them draw back.

"Zuko…" The blond man muttered, drawing up the hood on his clothing and securing the scarf around his nose and mouth to hide his features.

Zuko grabbed the elder woman roughly by the arm and dragged her in front of the gathered tribals. "He'd be about this age? Master of all elements?"

Sun tilted his head curiously. "Why is Zuko looking for the Avatar?" He asked himself, rolling up his sleeves to reveal thick, carved wrist guards that extend up to his elbows and gleamed white and gold.

Having received no response except stunned, fearful silence, Zuko threw Gran-Gran back at Katara and released a blast of fire over their heads, making a noise of frustration. "I know you're hiding him! Where is he?!"

Sokka managed to pull himself from the snow he was stuck in and retrieved his weapon, charging again at Zuko's back. The Fire Nation Prince made a face of annoyance and turned to face the charge, dodging the first swing before grabbing the Water Tribe and flipping him over his head, stripping the club away. He turned and shot a blast of fire at Sokka, who nimbly dodged the attack and whipped the boomerang off of his back and hurled it at Zuko's head.

Zuko barely dodged the metal weapon, his face twisting in anger. One of the kids had grabbed a spear from nearby and tossed it to Sokka, who grabbed it out of the air and charged at the Fire Nation soldiers again.

Sun gave a dead-pan look as Zuko easily disarmed the Water Tribe warrior, breaking his spear into pieces with his wrist-guards, before pulling the remainder away and harshly poking Sokka in the forehead with it before snapping it in half and tossing the pieces to the ground. "Note to self, Sokka's strengths do not include open combat." He said to himself.

He stood and parted the crowd as Sokka's boomerang came back around and impacted off of Zuko's helmet, enraging the Firebender, who launched a blast the warrior, having finally tired of dealing with.

Sun pushed through the tribals and jumped in front of Sokka, the fire being deflected by his arm guards. His jump carried him over the distance and he lashed out, throwing Zuko onto his back ten feet away.

Sun landed and immediately dropped to his hands, spinning and kicking the feet out from under a Firebender, rapidly coming back to his feet to snatch the falling enemy by the ankle and whip him into another, sending both sailing back.

He spun, deflecting a blast fire away and jumped, landing with his legs around the Firebender's neck before throwing himself back, flipping the soldier into air. He planted his hands and swung his feet out, tripping another soldier, using his momentum from the spin to launch himself at another, landing both of his feet on the Firebender's chest, throwing him back.

As Sun flipped and dodged the blasts heading his way, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Aang standing before Zuko, who was attacking him with rapid punches and kicks. The young Airbender was hard-pressed to defend himself, his face showing obvious fear.

Sun caught the arm of Firebender and twisted, throwing him into another. As he fought, Katara was hard-pressed to take her eyes off of him, even when the heat of Zuko's flames flared near her face. He was agile, so fast, spinning and flipping, his punches and kicks throwing grown men around like dolls and causing obvious pain when they landed.

It was at that point that Katara remembered the stories the young blond man would tell around the campfire, of attacking and defeating bandits and mercenaries and winning…and that was when she realized he hadn't been exaggerating his skills at all. If anything, the way he could pick up full grown men, in heavy metal armor no less, and toss them around as if they were snowballs, he had downplayed his strength.

Sun flipped away from a sweeping leg of fire, jumping into one of his stances, left foot planted, right foot near his knee, right arm crooked over his head and left arm bent upwards from his waist, ready to attack…

"Stop!" Aang yelled pleadingly, "I'll surrender!"

Sun, still in his stance, glanced at the young Airbender incredulously. "Aang, we're winning," He pointed out, nodding towards the limping and injured Firebenders. "We can beat them."

Ignoring him, Aang pleaded with Zuko. "If I go with you, will you leave them alone?"

Zuko glanced at Sun, still in his stance, before glancing at Aang and nodding once, stiffly.

The Avatar handed the scarred prince his glider and held his hands out to be restrained. He was quickly tied up led away, shooting the tribals a comforting look.

Sun, still in his stance, gaped at the leaving ship in disbelief. "What the hell?!" He shouted, "I had them on the ropes, you idiot! Self-sacrifice is worthless if you're capable of winning!"

Sokka nudged the fuming blond bender, who he noted that, despite the stance being a short transitional type, Sun hadn't wobbled once despite the off-balance nature of it. "Let it go, Sun. He made his choice."

Sun stomped the ground, cracking the ice even further, to the pair's shock. That ice was several feet thick, and the fact that the Fire Nation ship had been steaming full-power was the only reason it pierced through it. "Yeah, but it was a stupid-ass choice!" He growled, pulling his hood and scarf away from his face. He turned on his heel and headed to his tent. "How am I supposed to protect and guide the Avatar when does something like this? I can see why the Spirits charged me with this task."

He ducked into his tent and started stuffing his things into his pack. "Wait, you're supposed to guide the Avatar?" Katara asked in shock

Sun sighed and sat back on his legs. "Yes. For the most part, I grew up in the Spirit world. They gave me the task of guiding and protecting the Avatar in his duty of bringing balance to the world."

The siblings traded shocked looks as he tied the strings on his pack. "So…you're going to rescue Aang?" The Waterbender asked cautiously.

Sun shot her a dry look. "Well, duh. I can't very well protect him if he gets killed by the Fire Lord, can I?"

Katara glanced at her brother before leaving the tent, followed shortly by Sokka. Shaking his head, Sun threw on his pack and marched out of the Water Tribe. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply.

After waiting a few moments, the ground rumbled slightly as the large form of Appa lumbered up to the blond bender, who patted him on the head. "Hey there, big guy." He greeted softly. "We're going to go rescue your foolish partner. Are you rested up and ready to fly?"

Appa growled lowly, and he took that as a yes. Sun secured his pack to the saddle and climbed up onto Appa's head, taking the reins firmly in his hands. As he directed the sky-bison away from the Southern Water Tribe, two voices called out to him.

Turning, he was surprised to see Sokka and Katara running at them, calling for him to wait. "I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, but-"

"We're coming with you!" Katara declared firmly, climbing into the saddle with her brother. "We have permission, and we're ready."

Sun arched an eyebrow at them, before giving a genuine smile. "Thanks, guys. Are you ready?"

"I was not born ready, but I totally am!" Sokka exclaimed, securing his stuff.

"Well alright," Sun said determinedly. "Let's go save us an Avatar. Appa! Yip-Yip!"

…

…

…

 **A/N: This is going to be a long author's note, I just know it.**

 **Alright, this is another rewrite of the Avatar / Naruto story I wrote a long time ago, which was also a rewrite of a similar story. However, if you've seen that one, then you know things have definitely been changed around. So, to answer the questions I know will be asked:**

 **Questions I Know Will Be Frequently Asked (QIKNBFA):**

 **Q: What is Naruto doing in the Avatar world and how did he get there?**

 **A: He's the Guardian and Spiritual Guide of the Avatar, who will protect and guide Aang on his journey to North, East and West. As for the second part, I'm not going to answer that. Spoilers.**

 **Q: Why isn't Naruto like canon-Naruto?**

 **A: 1, this isn't canon. Naruto grew up in the Avatar world, and thus his childhood and how developed has been changed. 2, canon Naruto, despite his strengths, is really, really fucking irritating. After growing up, for the most part, in the Spirit World and training under his master, he has matured, with elements of his playfulness and general personality still there.**

 **Q: Who is Naruto's Master?**

 **A: Since I doubt there are that many people who read Chinese mythology all that much, I will simply say who it is. He is known as Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. Google him. His appearance is based on that one movie with Jackie Chan and Jet Li and that one white guy. His skills and abilities, and those trained with Naruto, play a big part in how Naruto fights and acts. Google him, seriously, it will explain a lot.**

 **Except for the 'clones from his hair' part. No clones for Naruto. How would know how if he grew up in the Avatar world? And Sun Wukong is a spirit.**

 **Q: Why does Naruto go by 'Sun'?**

 **A: Avatar's various cultures are based on various things, with mostly Chinese influences. A Japanese name would not be common at all, and thus would draw attention to him, and his appearance does that already.**

 **Elements of realism, people.**

 **There are probably more question, but I'm done for now. I hadn't meant for this chapter be so long, and the ones that follow will definitely be shorter. Naruto is also wearing predominantly white because he's in an arctic environment.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed this. Leave a review and tell me what you thought.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: How does this rank of my priorities for stories? Not all that high, I'm afraid. I just had an idea while I was watching Ultimate Spider-Man and suddenly, I was like, "I can fix this." How did I come to this conclusion?**

… **I don't know, man. I don't know how my mind works, it just does.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	2. The Start of a Journey, Part 2

Sokka had eventually stopped screaming a few minutes after Appa had taken flight, the intent behind their flight didn't stop Katara and Sun from whooping in delight as the sky bison rode the air currents smoothly and effortlessly.

Once he was sure that Appa was heading in the right direction, and with the trail of smoke the Fire Nation ship was leaving behind, it wasn't hard to track, he slipped into the saddle with the others and pulled off his scarf and hooded cape, and started tugging off the heavy over-clothes he wore to deal with the cold.

A heavy shirt and pants was tucked away, revealing to the Water Tribe siblings that Sun wore armor underneath them, some of which they had seen during his fight with the Firebenders.

Sun wore mostly white; a white, long-sleeved shirt under a grey vest, with thick metal wrist-guards that looked both heavy and ornamental, being decorated with gold carvings over the white metal, and what seemed to be bandages on his hands, along with small similar small pieces on his shoulders.

He wore a grey sash with multiple pouches around his waist that held up white pants, over which were leg-guards that looked equally thick and heavy, somewhat more so due to the thick iron rings that held the armor in place around his ankles and below the knees, and it ended in three claw-like parts just in front of the toes; with his feet being bare except for bandages that wrapped around his ankle and the bottom of his foot.

After pulling his cape back on and wrapped his scarf around his neck, Sun looked up to find questioning and incredulous looks directed at him via the Water Tribe siblings. "What?" He asked blankly.

"Okay, one, have you been wearing those this whole time? And two, how did we not notice?" Sokka questioned confusedly.

Sun shrugged, tapping the metal. "Do these look easy to take off? I've worn them for so long that I barely notice the weight anymore. Plus, they're a gift from my Master. As for the second part; I was wearing other stuff over it." He replied easily. "We're coming up on the Fire Nation ship. Sokka, I want you to hang back and attack at a distance…you're not the best at close-range."

Sokka scowled at the blond man, but acquiesced reluctantly.

"And Katara, you've gotten pretty good at the whips and shields, right?" He asked, getting a nod from the young Waterbender. "Right, so just remember to flow with the water and play defensively. Don't be afraid to dive into the water if it seems like too much, okay?"

Katara nodded with a determined look on her face. "Right."

Appa flew around the column of smoke rising from the Fire Nation ship and hovered above the bow, out of range of normal Fire Bending attacks. "Right. I'm going to drop in." Sun told them, withdrawing a small stick from a pocket.

He stepped out of the saddle and fell through the air, and as he did, the stick in his hands extended into a six-foot long golden staff. He landed on the deck with a heavy clang of metal that definitely echoed through the ship.

The Firebenders on deck sounded the alarm and rushed at the hooded blond, who immediately leaped into the fray and began wreaking havoc with his staff.

He spun the golden weapon with speed and ferocity, his blows sending his enemies flying across the ship. Sun made sure to tackle them in small groups, and always up close.

He smacked the staff into the stomach of a Firebender and spun it up, launching the man into the air; twirling to avoid a blast of fire that scorched the edge of his cape and swung the staff at the Firebender's knee, bringing him down before flicking his weapon back and into the bender's helmeted head. He twisted and caught the falling Firebender, spinning and hurling him through a doorway into the ship and into a group of approaching enemies to by some more time, so he could dive into the ship and retrieve Aang.

However, his plans were canceled when the Airbender sprinted up onto the deck with his staff in hand, looking rather casual despite the circumstances. "Sun?" He shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Sun dodged a fire blast from behind and thrust his staff back into the Firebender's stomach, then swung it over his shoulder into his head, spinning and kicking the dazed enemy away. "We came to rescue you, dummy! You're free, so let's get out of here!"

Zuko charged from below deck, nearly snorting fire and went directly towards Aang, ignoring the hooded blond, which was a mistake.

Sun swung his staff into Zuko's stomach spun away as Aang whipped his glider around and unleashed a blast that hurled the prince into a wall with a heavy clang. He fell to the ground with a pained groan and did not get back up.

Appa landed on the deck, and the two Airbenders turned to retreat, coming on the sight of several Firebenders either frozen in place or lying awkwardly on the ground, with their feet frozen to deck while on their backs.

Katara and Sokka actually worked pretty well together, when they could. She would freeze their feet to the deck and he would bounce his boomerang off of their heads.

Seeing Appa land and Aang safe, they retreated and climbed onto the sky-bison.

Sun still had his feet on the deck when a scream of rage echoed over the water. Zuko, having regained consciousness, saw his prey escaping and charged at the one in white, two daggers of fire coming from the bottom of his clenched fists. Appa jumped into the air as the Prince dashed across the deck at the blond man.

"Sun, look out!" Katara cried out.

Sun calmly stood his staff on the deck and took a casual standing stance as Zuko closed the distance. As the Fire Nation Prince came within five feet of him, Sun snatched something out his pouch and hurled it at Zuko's face.

A cloud of something washed over Zuko's face, blinding him and getting in his mouth. He stepped back, scrubbing at his face angrily, and finally opened his eyes to look at what had been thrown at him. It sparkled pink in the sunlight.

"Is this…glitter dust?!" He shouted angrily.

Sun wound up and sucker punched Zuko in the face as the prince looked up at him incredulously, throwing him back down on the deck. He snatched his staff up and back-flipped onto the saddle, calling back mockingly, "It matches your sparkling personality!"

An older man, older in years and rounder about the middle, ran up onto the deck as Zuko managed to recover. They nodded to one another and moved in tandem, launching a large blast of fire at Appa.

Sun's eyebrows went up. "Aang, that's all you." He said casually as the Airbender jumped onto Appa's tail and swung his glider, the small wings out to give the swing more power as he bent a crescent wave of air at the fire-ball, deflecting it into a nearby iceberg.

The blast shattered a good chunk of the ice, dropping it on top of the ship's prow. "Ha!" Sokka called, "Looks like you got stopped cold!"

The Water Tribe warrior's mocking laughter drifted back as the sky bison disappeared in the distance.

Zuko watched as his prize flew away, clenching his fist and growling to himself. He paused as he wiped the glitter from his face, his mind shooting back to a memory.

 _Young Zuko strode through his home proudly, or as proudly as a seven-year-old can get, ready to end the day. However, his first step into his room caught on a thin wire stretched across the frame, causing him to sprawl onto the floor with a yelp of shock._

 _His head landed on stick, and that stick, balanced on a stack of books, launched a bowl up into the air, and it fell on Zuko, covering him in pink glitter._

 _Coughing frantically trying to wipe the pink dust off of himself, he said, "Is this glitter dust?"_

 _He was answered by a pair of giggles. Zuko strode angrily around his door and found a young boy with a shock of bright blond hair and marks similar to whiskers on his cheeks rolling on the floor, while a girl slightly younger than him with ebony hair and amber eyes vainly tried to muffle her giggles behind her sleeve and failing badly._

" _Azula! Naruto!"_

 _The two kids ran away from the glittering, angry Zuko as he chased them through the house. "It matches your sparkling personality, Zu-Zu!" The young blond called, high-fiving Azula._

"Naruto…" Zuko murmured in shock, eyes wide and glazed.

"What was that, my Prince?" The older man asked.

Zuko pointed at the sky where the sky-bison had disappeared. "Uncle, that man in white, that was Naruto!"

Uncle arched an eyebrow in question, frowning slightly. "How can you be so sure?"

Zuko pulled on his shirt, scattering glitter on the deck. "He threw glitter at my face and said it matched my personality! No one else has ever done that!" He quieted down, tapping his chin in thought. "I thought he was dead…Azula thought he was dead…I need to tell her this! Get me a messenger hawk!" He ordered.

Zuko turned and found most of the crew attempting to unfreeze their comrades and free the ship from the ice, and slapped a palm to his face. "I'll go get one myself." He muttered, marching off into the ship. His sister, despite their less then stellar relationship, was still his sister, and he still cared about her, and she had been the one most broken up about her only boy friend's supposed death than almost anyone else among their little group; except, perhaps, for Ty Lee.

…

"Oh man, that was awesome!" Sokka cheered, pumping his fist triumphantly. "I can't believe we took on the Fire Nation and actually beat them! Good job, Katara!"

His sister smiled happily until he changed tack a second later. "But that was super dangerous and you're not doing it again!"

She reached out and smacked the back of his head. "I am, Sokka, and you aren't going to change my mind!"

Sun interjected before the brother could voice his complaints. "I saw what you guys did," He said with a smile. "You guys work really well together, when you aren't bickering."  
Katara smiled along with her brother at the compliment. Aang joined them in the saddle, sitting with them. "Thank you for coming to rescue me, guys." He said gratefully.

Sun nudged him with his elbow. "That wouldn't have been necessary if you hadn't surrendered, you know." He remarked dryly.

Aang rubbed the back of his bald head sheepishly. "I know, but all the fire they were throwing around could've hurt the people around us. I just didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me." He muttered, slumping a little.

Sun put a hand on his shoulder, smiling comfortingly. "I know, Aang, and I can understand where you're coming from. You just need some guidance, and that's what I'm here for."

"You're here to guide me?" The Avatar asked, "How?"

Sun frowned and shook his head. "Hold on, I need to do my introduction." He patted the saddle, "Hey Appa, can you land us on the berg over there? Thanks, buddy."

Appa roared in acknowledgement and brought them in to land, and the blond man jumped off and back away. "Alright, here we go." He muttered, reaching into his pocket.

Sun whipped out his staff as it grew to full-size, spinning it around him in a golden blur, before slamming it on the ground, cracking the ice. "My name is Sun Naruto, Avatar Aang, and I have been charged by the Spirits to guide you!" He pointed one end of the staff at a wide-eyed Aang, "In your journey to master the elements and bring balance to this world! I am your Guide, I am your Guard, and I will protect your life with my own, in this world and the next! This I have been charged with, and this I will not fail in!"

As he spoke, the clouds opened up, a shaft of sunlight shone down on him, making his staff, armor and hair all glow with a nearly ethereal golden light.

As soon as his introduction was over, the sunlight faded and the serious atmosphere fled as he smiled at the stunned trio. "How was that? I've been practicing that for years! Was it impressive?" He asked eagerly.

They all nodded slowly, causing Sun to pump a fist and cheer. "Awesome!"

"Are you really my guide?" Aang asked, once he got over his shock.

The blond man nodded seriously. "I am, Aang. As I said, I will guide you and guard you with my life. It's my destiny."

They piled back into the saddle and took to the air again. "How did you do that thing with your staff? And what was with the sunlight?" Sokka asked quickly, examining the weapon lying on Sun's legs.

It was six feet long and colored a dark, burnished gold, each end decorated with carvings of monkeys.

"This used to be my Master's weapon," He explained, patting the weapon fondly. "He imbued it with the ability to change shaped and size and will, and since it's from the Spirit World, the laws of this world don't apply to it, so I can do the same."

"You keep mentioning your Master," Katara commented as the staff shrunk in size and was stored away. "Who is it?"

Sun smiled widely and pointed up at the sky, more particularly, the Sun. "He gave me part of his name, and I've known him as Master Wu. But to other people, he's called the Monkey King, the Sun Spirit. Which should also answer your second question, Sokka."

Aang appeared in the saddle in a blur of motion. "You were trained by a Spirit?!" He yelled excitedly, "How?"

"I lived in the Fire Nation until I was about…eight, I think. I had to leave, and I somehow ended up in the Spirit World." He explained with a shrug. "No one except the Avatar is supposed to be able to do that, or bend more than one element, so they didn't know what to do with me. Most of them wanted to kill me, actually, but Master Wu intervened with the idea that, instead of erasing me from existence, they tie my destiny with the Avatar's, to be your Guide and Guard. They eventually agreed, and Master Wu took me under his wing and trained me."

"Wow," The young Avatar said quietly. "So you guys are coming with me?" He directed at Katara and Sokka, who both nodded determinedly.

"Of course we are. You promised to help me find a Waterbending Master, remember?" Katara asked playfully, smiling.

"Yeah! We'll find one and train together!" Aang replied happily.

Sokka jacked a thumb at his sister and pointed at Sun. "I'm just here to protect my sister and my friend…even though he plays pranks on me." He glowered at the blond, who smiled cheekily at him.

"I'm here to help you however I can, Aang, in mastering Water, Earth and Fire." Sun stated seriously, with a small smirk playing about his lips.

"Thanks, guys." Aang murmured, scrubbing at his watering eyes. "We'll find the Masters, and we'll stop the Fire Nation, together." He declared firmly, as the others nodded with him.

"But first…" He whipped out a map and pointed at several locations. "We have serious business to do here, here, and here."

"What's there to do?" Katara asked, peering a the map.

"Here, we'll ride the hopping llamas. Then way over here, we'll surf on the backs of giant koi fish. Then over here, we'll ride the backs of hog-monkeys! They don't like being ridden, but that's what makes it fun!" He said excitedly.

Sokka and Katara traded skeptical, but not unexcited looks, and Sun slapped a hand over his face. "I'm going to have to be the mature, responsible one, aren't I?" He muttered dejectedly.

Looking up at the sun, he saw the beams of light form into a familiar face, pointing and laughing at him. Sun gave the Sun a rude gesture and grumbled to himself, to the amusement of the others, who started laughing at him.

He smiled and joined in, their laughter ringing through the air as Appa sailed through the sky.

…

…

…

 **A/N: Quick and short, just to end the first part and begin their adventures fresh next chapter. And before anyone asks, yes, Sun did throw glitter in Zuko's face and sucker-punch him. And no, the story did not come into being just for that part, not at all.**

 **Alright, another instance of Questions I Know Will Be Frequently Asked (QIKWBFA):**

 **Q: Is that the staff from the legend of Sun Wukong? And if it is, how can he carry it around?**

 **A: Tis. The appearance is based on the staff from the movie the Lost Worlds (thanks for telling me), and it is the staff of Sun Wukong, with all of it's capabilities, including the weight. How can he carry it around? Well, I'm not going to answer that until later. It'll be a plot point.**

 **Q: How does Sun know Zuko and Azula?**

 **A: He grew up with them until he was eight, and then he had to leave, for reasons that will be explained later.**

 **And one of the questions I've been asked the most is if the pairing is the same, and if it's still a harem. And since that's been asked the most, I'm not going to answer it.**

 **HA!**

 **I've gotta draw you in somehow, and I sometimes enjoy being a bastard. My original Author Avatar was a troll-face for a reason. Pbbbbbbt.**

 **Plus, I want to see how it gets written out, and I'll go from there. Don't bitch if I put Suki with Naruto, please, as I said, I'm seeing how it writes out. Though I definitely not putting Katara and Aang together. In the show, that just seemed really conciliatory to me, as if they had to put it like that.**

 **Well, I'm not them, so I don't.**

 **Also, ages:**

 **Aang is closer to thirteen then twelve, as in he's turning thirteen shortly.**

 **Katara just turned seventeen.**

 **Sokka is closer to eighteen then seventeen.**

 **Naruto is almost eighteen.**

 **Azula is the same as Sun.**

 **Zuko is nearly nineteen.**

 **I'll add more in later, when it becomes needed…if it becomes needed.**

 **Anyway, that's all I got for you guys today. I've been typing a lot the last couple of days, so I need to rest my hands. I need those for making sandwiches and high-fiving, you know, the important stuff. And also writing, I guess.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: I'd like you readers to stop for a moment and join me in a toast. To Christopher Lee, one of the best Bond Villains, the best part of the Star Wars Prequels, the One Wizard to Rule Them All, Badass in movies and in real life. A finer Gentleman, Badass and Son of Charlemagne there never was. Rest In Peace, you bad-mamajama.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	3. The Last of the Airbenders

The next morning dawned early for Katara, who was usually the first one awake among her tribe despite her age. She opened her eyes and frowned, wondering why her bed furs felt more restrictive than usual. Then the events of the past days came to the forefront of her mind, and she smiled to herself.

Finding Aang in the Iceberg, getting attacked by the Fire Nation, joining Sun with her brother to rescue Aang and attack the Fire Nation back, and going off on a journey to help the Avatar master the elements, and find a Master for herself.

Katara sighed to herself, smiling into her furs. Quietly, she slipped a hand under her pillow and retrieved something she'd slept with since she got it days ago. The flower made of ice that Sun had made for her, that despite being made of frozen water, hadn't melted or lost its' shape at all and was still cool.

She cradled it against her chest, remembering how she received it. _'A pretty snow flower for a pretty snow flower.'_ _Had he meant it?_ She wondered, touching the rigid petals. She didn't have much experience with boys beyond her brother, and definitely not in the way she was wondering.

The cheerful blond man had flirted with her more than once during their stay at the South Pole, and she wasn't sure if he was flirting with her seriously or playfully.

Shaking her head, she stored the flower away and got up. Katara would wait and see how things developed between them before doing anything. Sitting up, she turned and paused, seeing Sun standing near the fire. On one hand. Staying perfectly still.

"Um, Sun? What are you doing?" She asked tentatively.

"Trying to meditate while upside down." He answered shortly, his voice sounding strained. "To help with my concentration."

Katara thought for a second. "Is it actually helping?"

Sun grunted, shaking slightly. "Nope! The pounding in my ears is really distracting."

He gave up and flopped to the ground with a thump, sighing as his face slowly regained the normal coloring. She busied herself by rolling up her sleeping bag and storing it away on Appa's saddle, before grabbing the remains of last night's dinner and starting to make breakfast out of it.

Sun joined her eventually, and the two sat in companionable silence for few minutes before Aang shot off of the ground and sailed ten feet in the air, whooping excitedly. They traded amused and wary looks as the young Airbender floated back to the ground with a wide smile.

"We're going to the Southern Air Temple today!" He cheered, appearing behind the two older benders in a blur of speed, throwing his arms around their shoulders. "I can't wait for you guys to see everything!"

Sun balked slightly. "Uh, I don't think it'll be the way you remember it, Aang. A lot can change in a hundred years." _Like the betrayal and near-extinction of a people._

"I know, but I want to see it for myself," He informed them, taking a bowl of food from Katara.

Sokka continued to sleep, wrapped up in his sleeping bag as they ate breakfast and packed their camping gear away. Aang, having grown tired of waiting for the Water Tribe warrior to wake, decided to move things along. "Come on, Sokka, wake up! Air Temple time!"

Sokka grunted sleepily and lazily opened an eye, slowly rolling it up to look at the excitable Airbender. "Sleep now…temple…later." Then he closed his eyes and started snoring.

Aang blinked in surprise, frowning a little. A mischievous grin spread across his lips as he picked up a stick and started poking the sleeping bag with it. "Oh no! Look out, Sokka, a prickle-snake is in your sleeping bag!" He called out with fake worry.

Snapping awake, the boomerang-wielding warrior panicked and hopped around the broken-down campsite in his sleeping bag, screeching and yelling before he tripped and sprawled on the ground, realizing he'd been had by the irritated expression on his face.

Sun and Katara laughed at the sight as Aang poked Sokka in the back of the head with his stick. "Great, you're awake! Now we can finally go!" He exclaimed happily, leaping onto Appa's head.

He grumbled in annoyance and rolled his bag up slowly. "Hey Sokka, hurry up or you won't get any breakfast!" Sun called from the saddle, watching in amusement as the younger man hurriedly packed his things and scrambled in the saddle with a hungry gleam in his eyes.

Aang took them up into the air as Sokka chowed down on a bowl of food, while Katara bent a small orb of water into different shaped and turned them to ice and back and Sun created a spinning orb of wind that he passed from hand-to-hand and finger-to-finger.

After about an hour of flying, the Airbender announced, "The Batola mountain range! We're getting really close!"

The young Waterbender shuffled around the saddle to talk to Aang without the wind carrying away her words. "Before we get there, we should talk about the Airbenders." She started slowly.

He turned around on Appa's head to peer at her with a questioning face. "What about 'em?"

Worriedly, she glanced at Sun, who shared an uneasy look with her. "Well…you should be prepared for what you find there. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother and they might've done the same to your people." She replied, trying to be gentle.

Aang shrugged, looking optimistic. "Just because no one has seen any Airbenders for a long time doesn't mean the Fire Nation got to them. I bet they escaped!" He stated easily.

Katara gulped, licking her lips nervously. "Aang, I know it's hard to accept…"

"You don't understand, Katara." He cut across, not unkindly. "The only way to get to an Airbender temple is by flying, and I really doubt the Fire Nation has any sky-bison."

Sun sighed heavily and beckoned the younger Waterbender over, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "I think this is something he has to see for himself," He said quietly, mood somber. "I don't like this, but he won't accept it without proof."

"But that 'proof' is the dead bodies of his people." She whispered back anxiously. "It could really damage him." Katara rubbed her arms, looking worried.

The blond man put his arm around her and gave her a comforting squeeze. "He's the Avatar, Katara. He was never destined for an easy life, but we are here for him, to help him deal with things like that. I doubt it'll ever be easy, though." He murmured sadly.

They fell silent as they flew through the air, gripping each other when Aang sharply steered them around a mountain. As they passed the rocky face, a new view was presented to them, of the top of another mountain, this one with blue and white towers with rods on the roofs that jutted into the sky like spears. The central building was much taller and wider than the others and was placed between two rock spires.

Looking over the mountain, Sun spotted several trails and paths that could lead straight to the top if taken by a relatively experienced climber with the right equipment. _Aang really is in denial._ He thought sadly.

"There it is! The Southern Air Temple!" Aang announced grandly, a wide smile on his face.

"Wow, Aang, it's amazing!" Katara said in an awed voice.

"Yeah, it looks really good, despite not being cared-for in a long time." Sun agreed, scanning the mountain top for any signs of life. And not finding any.

"I know!" The young Airbender said, turning to look back in the saddle, frowning. "Why are you guys sitting so close together?"

Both of the older benders hadn't moved after their whispered conversation, and thus Sun still had his arm around Katara, who was snuggled into his side. Coughing lightly and casually removing his arm, the blond bender replied, "You took that last mountain kinda sharp, buddy, we nearly tumbled out of the saddle. Warn us next time, please?"

Katara, inwardly missing the warmth provided by the blond, nodded in agreement. "I know you're excited, but not all of us are as experienced in riding a sky-bison like you, Aang."

Smiling ruefully, Aang rubbed the back of his bald head sheepishly. "Sorry guys! Alright, we're coming in to land!" He brought Appa down on a worn stone landing pad and the group dismounted, looking up at the winding rocky path that was covered with a layer of snow in trepidation.

Well, except for Aang, who raced ahead of them, whooping. "Man, where does a guy get something to eat around here?" Sokka complained, rubbing his stomach.

"It's the middle of winter on top of a wind-swept mountain, Sokka." Sun retorted dryly, "Where do you think you can get food?"

The Water Tribe warrior paused in thought before speaking up. "…In the ground?"

The blond shrugged. "Maybe."

Katara crossed her arms as they climbed the path. "You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to set foot on this mountain in a hundred years, and all you can think about is food?" She asked with annoyance.

Sokka shrugged simply. "Everybody has needs, sister of mine, and one of those is food."

"You had breakfast," Sun pointed out as they got closer to Aang, who had stopped to look down at something.

"Yeah, but that was just one bowl!"

The young Airbender pointed down at a parapet cut into the face of the mountain, which had a small, densely-packed field of sticks of varying heights, with two goal on either side of it. "That's where my friends and I used to play airball!"

His finger swings over to an empty, dilapidated pen with troughs nearby. "And that…the bison would sleep over there…" His voice trailed off into the empty air, and he sighed lightly.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked, though she had an idea.

"This place used to be full of monks and lemurs and bison, but now…it's empty and covered in weeds." Aang slumped sadly, and the older ones of the group traded looks.

"What's this airball game you mentioned?" Sun asked quickly, changing the subject.

Aang smiled and perked up. "Come on, I'll show you!" He jumped down to the field and quickly found a ball while the others climbed down.

He began to explain the rules excitedly, making Sun blank out. By the time he came back, Sokka was standing unsteadily on some of the sticks in front of one of the goals, while Aang stood easily in front of his, spinning a ball around his body with his bending.

Sun took that time to watch how Sokka reacted to the game. His footing was becoming more sure with every second, and despite the speed with which the ball bounced through the sticks, his focused blue eyes never lost track of it.

His reaction time…was not the best, however, and neither was his strength, though the ball was being bent at him very quickly.

After seeing Sokka get plowed into the snow by the ball, again, the blond decided to intervene. "Alright, my turn! Let an actual Airbender try it out, would ya?" He jumped up in front of the goal and took a pose.

"Oh, right! This should be awesome!" Aang said happily, retrieving the ball. He spun it around him and bent it into the field, sending it bouncing through the sticks at Sun.

The blond did his best to keep it in sight, and as it rocketed towards him, he bent a crescent wave of air in front of him.

The ball deflected off of the air and bounced back into the sticks, heading towards Aang, who was smiling widely. He flipped over the ball and redirected the current around it, spinning and hurling it back at Sun.

The blond bender kept track of the ball and hopped from one platform to another, but the ball bounced off of smaller stick and hurtled through the goal. "Alright!" Aang cheered with his hands up. "One for me!"

Sun smiled at the happiness in Aang's voice and retrieved the ball by bending a small cyclone between him and it. "Best three out of five!"

They played for a while longer, ending up tied at two-to-two. The ball ricocheted around the field, and as it headed straight for the blond's feet, Sun quickly back-flipped and bent the ball high up into air. As it came down, he crouched and flipped forward, heavily kicking the ball straight at Aang's chest.

The younger Airbender yelped and ducked, the ball just sailing over his head and through the goal, embedding deeply into the rock wall. "Oops?" Sun said sheepishly as the force of the impact dislodged some of the snow on the parapet.

"That was cool!" Aang shouted excitedly, not caring that he had just lost. "But I think that's enough playing. We have a whole temple to see!"

They hopped down from the field and started climbing back up the pathway, with Aang running ahead again. They caught up to him quickly, as he hadn't gone far before stopping in front of a stature of a monk, who seemed to radiate kindness and wisdom even through a stone copy.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet someone," Aang said happily, motioning towards the statue.

"Who's that?" Katara asked carefully, examining the piece.

The young Airbender smiled slightly. "Monk Gyatso, the greatest Airbender in the world. He taught me everything I know." Clasping his hands, he respectfully bowed to the statue and stayed still for a few minutes, lost in thought.

Katara approached Aang and laid a kind hand on his shoulder. "You must miss him."

Aang straightened up and looked passed the statue, into the depths of the Air Temple. "Yeah," He replied softly, walking around it.

"Where are you going now?" Sokka asked, following behind the young Airbender.

As they moved into the temple proper, Sun hung back and looked up into the face of Monk Gyatso and bowed deeply, paying his respects to the long-dead man that taught Aang how to Airbend. "I swear to you, I will protect and guide your student to the best of my ability." He promised quietly, glancing up at the statue.

Sun jerked back in shock as a blue haze that looked exactly like the old man gave him a kind smile and light bow. He blinked, and whatever he had seen was gone.

Shaking his head, the blond man started to follow the others, and found them beyond a pair of heavy doors in large room that was covered in detailed statues arranged in a long spiral.

"They're lined up in a pattern," Katara reasoned, looking at the statues carefully. "Air, water, earth and fire."

"The Avatar Cycle." Sun stated calmly.

"Right! These are the past Avatars." She agreed, stepping back from one. "All these people are your past lives, Aang."

Sokka poked the statue of a burly Earthbender with a serious face. "You really believe that stuff, Katara? Past lives, Avatar cycles and whatever?"

Sun nudged the younger man with his elbow. "When the Avatar dies, they're reincarnated into the next nation of the cycle, to master the elements and bring balance back to the world. Or in some lucky cases, maintain it."

The two siblings shot questioning glances at each other. They had known Sun for awhile, and while they knew he wasn't stupid, to hear him speak with measures of seriousness and respect was rather odd.

Katara noticed that Aang had stopped in front of a statue that depicted a stately-looking Firebender, and was staring up into its eyes with a glazed look. She took him by the shoulders and shook him gently. "Aang, are you alright?"

"Huh?" Shaken out of his reverie, the young Airbender glanced at the older bender confusedly.

"Who is that?" She questioned, gesturing at the statue.

"Oh, that's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me."

Sokka arched an eyebrow at the statue of a very obviously Fire Nation man. "You were a Firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you."

"Sokka," Sun cut in seriously, looking at the other man with a piercing gaze. "Show some respect. He was against the war before it even started, and if he hadn't died when he had, the war might not have even happened. He was one of most powerful Avatars in history, and only betrayal ended his life."

"Geez, sorry." Sokka apologized sarcastically.

Sun had nothing but respect for the previous Avatar. When the Spirits had been deciding his fate and his Master had intervened with his idea, they had called on Roku to decide. The dead Avatar had pondered the situation for a minute before accepting, his own fate obviously weighing in on his decision.

"Sun, hide!" Coming back from his thoughts, the blond bender blinked in surprise, finding that the others had hid themselves and were motioning for him to do the same, pointing at the doorway. "Firebender!"

Glancing at the shadow advancing on the door, Sun quirked an eyebrow. "That's not a Firebender," He replied, watching as the ears on the shadow's head bounced. "Firebenders don't have big, floppy ears…"

They peeked around the statues they had been hiding behind and looked at the source of the shadow, which was a small, white-furred animal with brown markings around its wide eyes.

"…Nor are they lemurs."

Aang's eyes went wide and sparkly somehow, his gaze fixed on the lemur. "A lemur!" He announced happily, moving from behind the statue.

Sokka did the same, those his intent was very different. "Dinner…" He muttered, drooling.

"Don't listen to that guy, little buddy!" The young Airbender said soothingly, slowly approaching the small animal. "You're going to be my new pet!"

Sokka, who had been creeping up on the lemur, loudly called, "Not if I get my hands on him first!"

The lemur was startled, his fur puffing out as he screeched and ran away from the two boys chasing after him. Aang and Sokka disappeared down the hallway, calling for the lemur, leaving Katara and Sun behind.

They traded amused looks before bursting out into laughter and following after the two. "You'd never guess that Sokka is supposed to be the older one." Katara said with a smile as they walked down the hallway.

Sun made to reply but stopped when he looked ahead. Sitting in the middle of the otherwise bare wall was a small stone gargoyle, shaped like a monkey holding something out. "…Was that there before?" He asked Katara, approaching the gargoyle.

"No…no, it wasn't." She replied confusedly. "How did it get there?"

The blond bender looked up at the stone monkey, his gaze falling to the object it was presenting. Sitting in the small furry stone hands was a small leather pouch with a character sewn onto it with black thread.

Reaching out, Sun carefully took the pouch away and held it in his hands. It was very light, almost like a feather. The sound of creaking brought their eyes back to the small statue, which was no longer a statue. The suddenly living monkey winked at them before fading away, leaving behind a single orange hair. That faded into dust, leaving only the pouch and a lot of questions.

"What…was that?" Katara asked, shocked by the strange turn of events.

"That…was my Master." Sun replied distantly, turning the pouch over in his hands. "He wanted me to have whatever's in this thing. Though it seems empty."

The younger Waterbender wisely backed up as he pulled the pouch open. With a loud pop, something emerged from the pouch at great speed, hitting Sun in the face and sending him to the ground while whatever it was gently floated to rest on the floor.

Katara reached out gingerly and poked the mass of wispy golden fluff, her eyes going wide. "This is a cloud!" She announced in disbelief, poking the cloud. "And it's solid!"

Sun sat up, rubbing his forehead, and laid a hand on the golden cloud. "What the…this shouldn't be physically possible," He mumbled before slapping his forehead. "Right, it's from my Master, so it came from the Spirit World. What does it do, though?"

"Maybe it's a bed?" Katara wondered, feeling the soft texture of the oddly solid cloud.

Sun shook his head, "Nah, it's too small for that…Maybe you sit on it?" They traded shrugs and carefully planted their rears on the golden cloud, finding it to be a comfortable seat, though the space was kind of cramped, forcing them to sit very closely on it; not that either of them particularly minded.

"So…what does this thing do?" She questioned as they sat on cloud.

Sun shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it-"

The cloud shuddered lightly, and that was all the warning they got before the cloud lifted up and shot out of the temple in a blur of gold, leaving behind a trail of golden mist and their surprised screams, both of which faded shortly.

Wind whipped into their faces as they flew at break-neck speeds, soaring and swooping through the mountains. Katara had her arms tightly wrapped around Sun's middle, both of them leaning back from the speed with their hair blowing in the wind, screaming as the cloud flew through the sky.

Sun was smacking at the solid cloud underneath him, shouting, "Stop!" repeatedly. It flipped over in response, drawing a panicked cry from both of them; but instead of falling off as they should've, they remained stuck to the cloud as it flew, dipping their heads into a freezing cloud and freezing their hair in place with a layer of frost.

It eventually slowed down, allowing the two benders to open their eyes and see that they had been carried above the clouds. The sun shone off of the fluffy white masses, with the tallest mountains peeking through the blanket of clouds.

"Wow…" Katara murmured, taking in the sight. "This is beautiful…"

"Yeah." Sun whispered, gazing at the view laid before them, his hand unconsciously moving to Katara's around his middle.

Becoming aware of the contact, they blushed heavily and coughed, with Sun moving his hands down to the cloud. "Okay, let's try to steer this thing." He muttered, pulling on part of the golden mist.

They leaned to the left and the cloud responded by beginning a long, curling loop on the golden trail it left behind, leading back to the Southern Air Temple. They soared through the sky, passing over the blanket of clouds and mountain spires as they made their way back to the Temple, quietly enjoying the view and contact between them.

"It's just like my Master to send a gift that pranks me first." Sun said to Katara, who looked up from resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Really? Does he pull pranks like this a lot?" She asked, silently wondering how she hadn't seen the armor under his torso clothing and why it was so warm.

Sun snorted in a mix rueful and amusement. "All the time. He's a master prankster; part of my training with him would be avoiding a gauntlet of pranks and traps that he set around my bedroom, most of the time without telling me. I actually used to be more of prankster myself, but after spending so much time around my Master, I kind of settled down on them."

Katara snickered quietly, remembering the sight of her brother with a face covered in sea-prune jelly or mashed seaweed. "He sounds like a handful." She commented lightly.

"Oh, he is." Sun replied with a small smile. "I really didn't like him for a while, but I grew out of it and I'm grateful for the skills he gave me."

They fell back into silence as the spire from the Air Temple poked out of the clouds, and they moved through the white bank and descended on the mountain top, though something was wrong.

A plume of smoke and dust wafted through the air, coming from an area next to the temple, and the base of it was glowing a bright, incandescent blue. "Aang." Sun muttered, recognizing the color of Spirit Energy.

He steered the cloud down to the mountain, landing next to a sprawled-out Sokka, who was shielding his face from the swirling wind. "What happened?!" Katara shouted over the screeching air.

"He found out that Firebenders killed Gyatso!" Her brother shouted back.

The cloud, despite the wind, sat still on the mountain top as Sun started making his way to Aang, floating and glowing in a chaotically spinning sphere of air. "It's the Avatar State!" He called to the Water siblings. "It activates in times of danger and pain! We need to calm him down before he shreds the Temple and us!"

"Aang!" Katara shouted desperately, "I know you're upset! We would be, too! We were! We know how hard it is to lose someone you love! The Fire Nation took our mother away, just like they did with the Airbenders and you! But it's okay, Aang, we're you're family, now!"

The self-contained storm began to die, and Aang slowly descended to the ground in front of the untouched skeleton wearing tattered monk robes and a battered wooden amulet, his arrows glowing softly.

The trio quickly approached the young man and swept him up into the center of a group hug. "We're all here for you, Aang," Sokka said softly.

"We aren't going to let anything happen to you." Sun muttered as the sobbing boy was wrapped in their blanket of arms. "Promise."

Aang sniffled tiredly. "I'm sorry, guys…"

"It wasn't your fault," Katara said comfortingly, squeezing him. "It's okay."

"You were right," The Last Airbender said forlornly, "The Fire Nation did find this temple…and if they found this one, that means they found all of the others, too…"

He bowed his head. "I really am the last of my people."

They back away just a little as Sun raises his hand, air coalescing in his palm to form a swirling sphere. "Not entirely the last, Aang." The Second-to-Last Airbender said with a small smile. "You know, I've never been formally taught how to Airbend…if only there was someone who could teach me…"

Aang gave a watery smile as he scrubbed at his eyes. "That's right. I am a Master Airbender…that means you have to call me 'Sifu'." He said with a light chuckle.

They joined him, the somber mood lifting slightly, and left for the temple.

Sokka sighed as he watched Katara talking to Aang, who was looking up at the statue of Avatar Roku. "What I want to know is, how did the Fire Nation find the Air Temples?" He asked quietly.

Sun's face became like stone. "This is a war, Sokka," He muttered tonelessly. "And every war has sides…and every side has its' traitors."

The younger man frowned, before his eyes went wide in dismay. "Wait, you're saying that there were Airbenders who betrayed the others and led the Fire Nation to the temples?"

The blond man nodded shortly, causing Sokka to lean against a wall. "Why do you think that?" He finally asked, looking disturbed.

Sun sighed heavily and turned away from the room, his words drifting back to Sokka like an icy breeze, the forewarning of a blizzard closing in. "In war, every side has its' traitors…in every war. And war…"

"…War never changes."

…

The rasp metal and heavy cloth echoed through the opulent red halls of the Fire Nation Palace as a cloaked man strode smoothly through the corridors, his heavy black and red cape dragging across the clean floor.

He approached a door guarded by two men in full armor, holding ornamental spears made from gold, their heads shaped like fire. The guards froze as the man walked passed them, pausing in front of the heavy doors they guarded.

Sweat began to bead on their brows as a stifling silence echoed like a death knell. It was broken by the light clinking of metal on wood as two gold pieces bounced on the ground.

" _ **You didn't see anyone."**_ The man rasped through a mask of some sort that covered everything from his nose to his chin in dull red material. Sulfurous yellow-red eyes peered above the edge of the mask, and below the beaked peak of his hood, daring the two men to give him anything less than a satisfactory answer.

The two men nodded quickly. _**"Good."**_ The cloaked man slipped through the doors, the absence of his presence making the guards sigh in relief before retrieving the coins on the floor.

The cloaked man stopped before a throne made of four red pillars decorated with golden dragons, elevated above the floor with a line of fire separating it from the rest of the room. A man sat on the throne, gazing imperiously down at the other, a dark smirk on his lips, his smooth amber eyes gleaming with ambition.

"You've arrived exactly when I was thinking of sending for you, like always." The Fire Lord proclaimed, his smooth, dark voice echoing through the room and above the crackling flames.

" _ **I had the feeling you would be in need of my services."**_ The cloaked man replied simply.

The Fire Lord nodded. "I do. My Sages have just become aware that the Avatar has come back from whatever hole he was hiding in."

The other man crossed his arms. _**"You want me to hunt the Avatar."**_ It was not a question.

"Yes, I do. I want him brought before me, so that I can look him in the eyes while I burn him from the inside out. But, barring that, I want him dead and out of the way of my ambitions." He replied, the fire in front of him flaring in response to his anger.

" _ **Double my usual price."**_ The cloaked man retorted quickly.

The Fire Lord smirked. "I was prepared to offer you more than triple."

" _ **This will be the greatest hunt of my career…the greatest target I could imagine."**_ He replied softly, clenching his hands into fists. _**"For that alone, I would do it for free…but money is necessary. I will need half of it now, and a loose time line."**_

"Oh?" The Fire Lord questioned smoothly. "And why is that?"

The other man shifted. _**"Every Avatar has some method of getting around quickly…and this one is from the Air Nomads, which mean he has a sky-bison…and those are very hard to track."**_

The Fire Lord snapped his fingers, and a servant scurried from the shadows and presented a simple wooden chest to the cloaked man. He took the chest and slipped it into his cloak, nodding slowly. "Very well. The Hunt is on…don't disappoint me, Hawk."

Hawk chuckled darkly. _**"When have I ever, Ozai?"**_

As the cloaked man left silently, Fire Lord Ozai tilted his head back, a deep laugh emerging from his throat, building in volume until it echoed through the palace, sending fearful shivers down the spines of those who heard the satisfied, insane sound.

One person ignored the laughter, an ornamental brush forgotten as a missive was clutched between sharp nails painted crimson. Long ebony hair fell down her back, her amber eyes scanning the words on the paper.

As she finished reading, Princess Azula stroked the ink depicting the name _Naruto_. "I always knew…"

…

…

…

 **Fallout 4!**

 **Ahem, I mean,**

 **A/N: Well that ending was rather dark, wasn't it? And mysterious, can't forget that.**

 **Now, Questions I Know Will Be Frequently Asked, aka QIKWBFA….WTFBBQ:**

 **Q: What's the relationship going to be between Sun and Katara, I mean, there was the ice flower, the saddle-cuddle, the private conversations, the cloud-flying and snuggling and touching?**

 **A: Still not telling. Pbbbbt. But I was listening to Daft Punk, the song 'Something About Us' as I was writing the cloud scene. Take that as you will. I'm just not going to reveal any of the pairings until I feel like it.**

 **Q: Da fug is up with the golden cloud? And what armor is Naruto wearing?**

 **A: The Golden Cloud is the Kintoun, which Sun Wukong used to ride around on when he wasn't flipping a thousand freaking miles. And if you don't know..somehow, Son Goku's staff and cloud were based on Sun Wukong's staff and cloud. Pretty obvious, actually. As for the armor, I lifted it pretty much directly from the Sun Wukong DLC for Sleeping Dogs, which is a fucking awesome game. Minus the thigh and chest armor. For now.**

 **Q: Who da fuq is Hawk?**

 **A: Not telling! Suspense, ho! But the look is mostly based off of Erron Black from MKX, with the hood from Assassin's Creed. When I write him, I even imagine his voice as Erron Black. Because Troy Baker is awesome.**

 **I had someone ask how Katara and Sokka were so close together age-wise. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's about a year difference in their ages in canon. They're just older here. I'd imagine their parents doing a lot of canoodling, given the war going on.**

 **The chapters from the show will be compressed a bit, though right now I'm trying to build up their different dynamics now that Sun is there, as it differs wildly from canon. Next up is Kyoshi Island, which will definitely be different.**

 **I'm also loving the reviews, follows and favorites. It's pretty sweet.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: Fun Fact, I listen to a lot of music while I write. With this story, Daft Punk seems to be the soundtrack I'm down for writing with. For Still Not A Hero (which is a story you should also read and review if you like Mass Effect and me.), it's mostly rock, like Shinedown, some Infected Mushroom, some Foo Fighters, and just a bunch of stuff. For Dare To Wander (another one of my stories that you should totally read and review if you like Fallout 3 and sneaky sniping characters.), it seems to be mostly Atreyu, namely Lead Sails Paper Anchor, and some Korn. Man, I'm kind of weird. Ah well.**

 **Shameless Self-Promotion, Ho!**

 **Stay Awesome Some More, especially if you read all the way down to here.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	4. The Kyoshi Warriors, Part 1

Appa soared through the air lazily as Aang tried to read a map, scratching his arrow in confusion and flipping the paper in his hands. Noticing this with a dead-pan expression, Sokka leaned on the saddle behind Aang. "You have no idea where we're going, do you?"

Aang sat up and gave the other guy a sheepish smile. "Well, I know that it's near water…"

"Great, because that narrows it down to every island and the coasts of every nation." The Water Tribe warrior muttered sarcastically. "Are you done with my pants yet?"

Katara looked up from the sewing she was doing, giving her brother a light glare. "They'll be done when they get done, and asking every five seconds isn't helping."

"Alright, alright," Sokka threw his hands up in surrender. "I just thought you'd be quicker. Girls are supposed to be good at sewing and other girly stuff."

While his sister shot him acid look, Sun looked up from his lap, where he was sewing a rip in his cape closed. "Dude." He said, offended. "Not cool."

Katara drove her needle back into the pants and messily finished up, throwing them back at her brother. "There! Oh, look at how quick I can sew 'cause I'm just a girly-girl!" She said angrily.

Ignoring the spluttering of the male sibling, Sun turned to her and held out his cape. "Since you're done with that, can you help me with this, please?" He asked with polite smile.

Returning the smile, she took the other end of the length of white cloth. "Sure, Sun."

As they went to work, Sokka held his pants up, the poorly-stitched hole in the seat clearly unraveling. "I was just kidding! Katara! Please fix my pants!"

Aang sat next to the panicking warrior in the saddle with a smile. "Don't worry, Sokka, where we're going, you won't need pants!"

Sun looked up as he finished repairing a tear. "And just where are we going, again?" He asked with an arched eyebrow.

The young Airbender smiled sheepishly. "I don't really remember. Momo! Marble me!" He called to the flying lemur they had taken as a pet from the Southern Air Temple.

As the little lemur searched through the saddlebag, Sun frowned slightly. "You said it was near water, right? And you want to surf on elephant koi?" At Aang's nod, he nodded back. "That would be Kyoshi Island, then."

"Kyoshi Island?" Katara asked, looking up from Sun's cape.

The blond man took the map from Aang, turned it right-side up and pointed at a crescent-shaped island. "This place. It's named after Avatar Kyoshi, and it's one of the only places you can find elephant koi. I've never been there, but the people there should be friendly."

"I'd think so, on an Island named after an Avatar." Aang replied happily. "Hey Katara, look at what I can do!"

He took the marbles from Momo and held them between his hands, using an air current to make them circle his palms.

"That's great, Aang." Katara replied easily, not looking up.

"But you're not even looking!" The young Airbender protested, closing his hands.

Sighing lightly, she stopped sewing and looked up. "That's great, Aang." She repeated dryly.

Aang slumped. "But I'm not doing it anymore."

She just hummed in reply and continued her activity. Sun finished repairing another tear in his cape before looking up at him. "You've been doing that trick every hour or so since you found those at the Air Temple, Aang. Maybe you should try a different trick?" The blond bender frowned. "By the way, when are you going to start teaching me Airbending?"

The younger Airbender shrugged a little as he moved to take Appa's reins. "I don't know where to start, really. I've never taught anyone Airbending before. What do you know?"

"Thank you," Sun said gratefully to Katara, throwing his cape around his shoulders. "Well, I know how to fly, I can make basic things like balls of air and blades, I can enhance my staff with it…and that's it."

"Huh." Aang muttered, tapping his chin in thought. "I don't know if I can teach you. We Airbenders are usually taught at a young age, as our bending style is really complicated."

The blond bender shrugged. "I expected that, honestly. Maybe we can train together at some point and you can give me pointers?"

The young Airbender nodded happily as Appa groaned, breaking through the clouds as a large, crescent-shaped island came into view. "We're here!" He whooped, leaping from the saddle as soon as the sky-bison's feet touched the ground.

"You know, we already made a pit-stop yesterday," Sokka pointed out, climbing down Appa's legs. "Shouldn't we fly a little more before making camp?"

Aang, who was hurriedly pulling off his clothes, probably didn't hear him. "He is right," Katara said in agreement. "If we keep going like this, we won't make it to the North Pole until Spring."

"But Appa's tired already, aren't you boy?" Aang interjected, nudging the sky-bison and winking meaningfully.

Appa gave an unconvincing yawn, obviously not tired at all. The young Airbender jacked a thumb at his companion and smiled, as if to say, 'See?'

Sokka rolled his eyes as Aang. "Yeah, because _that_ was convincing. Still, not going to argue with giant magical animal." He muttered, pulling off his jacket and discarding, taking a seat in the sand.

"Look!" Aang called, pointing out into the bay. Several giant fish, with deep red scales and golden fins leaped out of the water. They looked to outweigh Appa by about half, and the splashes their bodies made caused good-sized waves to roll up on the shore. "That's why we're here…elephant koi. And I'm going to ride it!" He proclaimed pointing at the sky dramatically. "Guys, you gotta watch me!"

Sun sat next to Katara as the young Airbender dived into the water, leaping back momentarily and shouting, 'Cold!' He laughed at Aang's expression, leaning back against one of the nearby trees. "He's enthusiastic, at least."

"You mean he's crazy." Sokka commented as Aang dived under the water.

They all sat up as one of the elephant koi leaped out of the water, the pale peach of Aang's skin standing out heavily against the fish's scales. They could hear him cheering and whooping from their spot, obviously having a very good time.

"Woo!" Katara called, waving at the young Airbender as he waved at them. "That looks like fun! Really dangerous, but fun."

"I know, right?" Sun said excitedly, jumping to his feet. "I'm going to join him!"

He hopped around the beach. pulling off his bracers and the shoulder plates, dropping them to the ground as Katara ran off to stop Appa from eating something. "There's something in water." Sokka said suddenly, sitting up and looking very serious. "Aang! There's something in the water!"

"What?" Sun looked up just in time to see an elephant koi get violently pulled underwater, a long, dark shadow following behind the fish Aang was riding. "Okay, that doesn't look fun anymore. Aang! Get out of the water!"

Katara, having heard the noise, came running back to the beach. "What's going on?" She asked worriedly.

"Aang's in trouble." Sokka replied shortly, waving his arms. "Get to shore!"

Aang had no clue about the danger, cheerfully waving back to his companions on shore. Then, something grabbed the koi he was riding on, sending him head-first into the water. He emerged with a gasp, blinking surprise and finding himself in the shadow of something. Slowly turning around, he found a giant serrated fin that towered over him ominously.

They heard Aang's scream of fear as he jumped out of the water and started running towards the shore, his speed so great that he actually ran on the surface of the water. The fin, and whatever it was connected to, gave chase, the towering fin slicing through the water like a hot blade through paper. It closed in on the sprinting Airbender, the shadow nipping at his heels before Aang took a mighty leap that carried him thirty feet onto the shore, crashing into Sokka and sending them into the tree line.

Sun and Katara hurriedly jogged over to the two boys, finding Aang quickly pulling his clothes on and Sokka pushing himself up after catching the former. "What was that thing?" Katara asked, warily watching the fin slowly disappearing into the water.

"I don't know and I don't want to find out!" Aang replied, shivering in fear.

"Yeah, let's not wait for that thing to come back. Let's get out of here." Sokka agreed, dusting himself off.

Sun made to speak, but stopped, something prickling at the back of his senses. He looked up into the trees as five figures dropped from above. Taken by surprise, the others were subdued quickly, even Momo.

The blond bender rolled away from the fifth figure as they tried to drop on top of him, narrowly avoiding the booted feet that impacted the sand. He came up to his feet and faced the attackers with hands up, ready to attack.

The attackers were all women, that was the first thing he noticed. They all wore heavy-looking forest-green robes, with some sort of light black armor on top of that, with their faces painted with white, black and red in an intimidating pattern. Each wielded a pair of familiar golden metal fans and wore black-headbands with a golden piece. The one with the largest and almost ornamental headdress was the one who nearly dropped on top of him.

"You are intruding on our island, outsider." The obvious leader spoke firmly. "Surrender so that you will be taken into custody."

"You ambushed me and my friends, stranger." Sun retorted quietly, not leaving his stance. "I will not be going anywhere with you until you tell me who you are."

The leader snapped her fans shut and stood proudly in front of her fellows. "I am Suki, the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. And you are trespassing on Kyoshi Island."

Narrowing his eyes on the woman, he tilted his head in respect to her. "I see. My name is Sun Naruto, and I am traveling with-"

"Your name is Sun?" Suki interrupted, focusing on the hooded man in front of her. "Remove your hood."

Arching an eyebrow and watching the Kyoshi Warriors carefully, Sun reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing his bright blond hair. One of the Warriors gasped. "Suki, that's-"

"I know. What is a Bounty Hunter doing on Kyoshi Island?" Suki asked, the hostility leaving her stance. "And who are you traveling with?"

"If you hadn't interrupted me, I would've told you already." The blond replied shortly. "I'm traveling with the Avatar and my friends. The bald kid with arrows and the two Water Tribals that you ambushed, respectively."

The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors looked down at the tied-up and blindfolded Aang, poking him a booted toe. "Are you serious?" She asked Sun incredulously.

 _Aang rose above the wind-swept ground, air swirling chaotically around him, his eyes and arrows glowing an ominous blue._

"Pretty damn sure, yeah." He replied dryly. "So, if you would, please untie the reincarnation of the woman you are styled and named after and my friends."

Nodding to her subordinates, the Kyoshi Warriors freed Aang, Katara and Sokka. Momo leapt from his bonds and wrapped himself around the young Airbender's head, chattering threateningly at the women.

"We apologize for ambushing you, Avatar." Suki apologized, bowing lightly. "Kyoshi Island has managed to stay out of the war so far, and we would keep it that way. To that effect, come with us, so that we can present you to our village leader."

Aang shuffled a little, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "A-alright. Lead on, I guess."

As the others were lead up into the forest path leading to the Village, Sun stayed behind to gather his armor, which he had taken off in preparation for diving into the water. Which wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Gathering the heavy white and gold metal protections up and sliding them back on, the blond looked up to see the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki, standing nearby, watching him with a curious but wary gaze. "Yes?" He asked calmly, adjusting his bracers.

"I don't imagine someone like you running off and leaving your friends behind, Sun, but I am keeping my eye on you." She replied simply.

Arching an eyebrow, his eyes fell on the orange clothes of Aang as he walked through the forest. "On me and not the Avatar?" He questioned.

Suki nodded and bade him to follow her. "That kid may be the Avatar, but he is young and inexperienced. The girl is a Waterbender, but she hasn't been trained extensively. The man is not a bender, and he seems to be intelligent-"

"I'm just saying, there's no way a bunch of girls could've ambushed us!" Sokka's voice floated down, trickling into their ears. Sun sighed and clapped a hand to his forehead.

" _Seems_ to be _somewhat_ intelligent." Suki amended with a small scowl. "But you…we've heard about you here. The Man with the white cape, with the white and gold armor, who has hair like the sun and a name to match. Tales of your exploits as a Bounty Hunter are common around here. Most of the populace regards you as a hero."

Sun shook his head with a short sigh. "I gave up Bounty Hunting more than a year ago to wander and find the Avatar. And while being called a hero does feed my ego a bit, I hunted criminals because I wanted to do some good, even in this time of war. The test of my skills was also a good part of it."

They arrived in the small village just behind the group, the Kyoshi Warriors doing their best to ignore Sokka's grumblings, though the clenched fists spoke volumes, and Katara did not look amused.

The leader of the village, an old man with poofy grey hair tied into a fluffy topknot approached them with a wary look, and a few villagers gathered behind with equally wary faces.

"Who are these strangers you've brought here, Suki?" The old man asked, examining them carefully. When his eyes fell on Sun, he gasped. "You!"

Looking irritated at the attention, an expression he shared with Aang, he replied shortly. "Yes. Me."

The old man folded his hands in his sleeves and bowed deeply. "We heard that you were the one to capture the Traitor, and for that, you have our deepest thanks."

Sun frowned lightly. "Traitor?" He asked, before looking at the Kyoshi Warriors again and noticing their metal fans, recalling when he had seen them before. "Oh! You mean Kara, right?" He said, remembering the black-haired woman who had nearly beaten him while wielding a pair of red metal fans.

"Yes." The old man replied. "That's is the one. If you may introduce yourself?"

"Ah," He nodded, "Right. My name is Sun Naruto, you may have heard of me." the villagers whooped, making him wince at the noise. "I am traveling with Katara and Sokka from the Southern Water Tribe. And the young man is Avatar Aang."

All attention was dropped on the young Airbender, who smiled nervously and waved. "Hi there!"

The old man arched an eyebrow at Sun. "Are you being serious? This young man is the Avatar?"

Sun nodded firmly. "He is. Aang, show them."

Stuttering slightly, Aang tried to think of a trick he could show them. "Aha!" He exclaimed, bringing his hands together in front of his chest, a ball of air swirling between his palms. It grew a little and Aang released it around him, creating a heavy breeze that kicked up a wave of dust around him. Sun subtly bent a small current of air in front of him sending the dust away, something Suki (who was standing behind him) noticed, giving the blond man a curious look.

As the breeze faded, Sun had to admit that Aang looked impressive, with his robes flapping around him, his staff in one hand and a serious look on his face.

"Now…watch this!" The young Airbender exclaimed, whipping out his marbles and making them spin quickly between his hands with a foolish grin on his face.

The crowd went wild.

Sun palmed his face again. _And there goes that train of thought._

"It's true…you are the Avatar!" Awed, the old man bowed deeply. "You are welcome on Kyoshi Island as long as you wish!"

"Is there a place we can stay?" Aang asked, basking in the praise and adulation of the villagers.

"Of course! Suki, show these brave travelers to the finest room we have!" The old man boomed.

"At once, Oyaji." Suki replied, sharing a dry look with Sun, who rolled his eyes at the crowd, specifically the one guy who foamed at the mouth and collapsed with a girly shriek.

After being shown to their suite, which was pretty lavish and beautifully decorated, and served dinner, which was presented on a large number of plates, did Katara recall a specific term she heard her friend had been called.

"Sun?" She asked the blond, who was lying on his back with his legs crossed, tossing a bun in the air. "That Kyoshi Warrior, Suki, she called you a Bounty Hunter. Why'd she do that?"

Sun tossed the bun into the air and opened his mouth, catching it with his teeth and eating it. "I used to be a Bounty Hunter, a little more than a year ago. I even had a partner. We hunted down criminals and brought them in for a reward." He sat up, grabbing a bowl of seasoned rice.

"What happened to your partner?" Katara asked cautiously, not wanting to open up any wounds.

He shrugged and took a drink of water. "We had a disagreement and a falling out, and went our separate ways. After that, I got a message from my Master, telling me that the Avatar would be coming soon, and would need my help. He didn't say where, so I just wandered around for awhile, eventually ending up in The Southern Water Tribe."

"Catching criminals sounds dangerous." She noted, looking at the sleeping form of her brother. He hadn't eaten much, to her surprise, and had gone to bed grumpily.

"It was, but I could do some good and rewards never hurt, either." He replied with a shrug. "Aang, are you going to stop waving to your admirers and come eat?"

"Huh?" The young Airbender replied distractedly. "Oh, yeah, just a second." He waved again, getting a low cheer from the crowd.

Katara rolled her eyes and ate bun, while Sun clicked his tongue. "Well, that's not going to get annoying, not at all." He muttered sarcastically.

…

..

" _ **So, the Avatar's on Kyoshi Island?"**_ Hawk said to himself, perched on the rooftop of the tallest building in the small village. _**"And he's traveling with…**_ **him.** _ **How convenient. For me."**_

He dropped off of the building, landing silently in the alley and walking out to join the night crowd. The hooded man stalked through the town, coming to the inn he had rented a room in.

Lying on his bed, Hawk contemplated the ceiling. _**"My two greatest targets on the same Hunt…the anticipation is killing me."**_ He said to himself, clenching his fists. _**"The Avatar and Him will have left before I can get passage to the Island…but I think I know where they're going next."**_

Settling in to sleep, the hooded man turned at looked at the sharp blades sitting atop a desk, the deadly edges gleaming with violence even in the low light.

" _ **Hmhmhmhm…I can't wait to sink my talons into them…"**_

…

…

Sweating but satisfied, a young woman with youthful features sat at her vanity, setting her headdress aside after a successful night of acrobatics in the circus. Sighing lightly, the young woman peered into the mirror with large, emphatic grey eyes and pulled her long brown hair from its braid, taking up a brush.

Humming softly, she drew it through her hair, enjoying the silence. It was broken seconds later by the screech of red hawk, who flew into her tent and landed on her vanity, holding a leg out.

Squealing softly and stroking the bird's head, she pulled the message off of it's back and rolled it open.

Her eyes went wide, and a choked whimper escaped her lips as she continued to read as tears rolled down her cheeks.

The message was dropped to the floor unceremoniously as the young woman cried tears of relief. The hawk, detecting her stress, crooned comfortingly and gently picked at her hair with its beak.

Laughing lightly and petting the bird, she pulled a small sketch from the mirror and cradled it like a precious treasure. Depicted on the sketch were four kids. Three girls all sitting around a young boy, the kid version of herself draped over his shoulders with a wide grin on her face.

The boy had light, spiky hair and a matching smile, his arms around a child Azula and another young girl with neatly gathered hair and a nearly imperceptible smile bending her lips.

"I knew it," She choked, smiling wetly, running her fingers over the boy. "I knew you were still alive, even when the others didn't believe it."

Of course, they had all hoped, but they didn't truly believe. Though, the last time she had seen Azula, the Fire Nation Princess had looked a little happier.

"Hey girl, do you mind taking a message from me?" She asked the hawk gently, stroking its crest. The bird nodded and cawed, and Ty Lee found a piece of paper and a brush, beginning to write a missive.

…

…

Sun found himself sitting before a massive spread of sweets for breakfast, poking a powdered confection warily before taking a bite out of it and pulling a face. He swallowed the bite down laboriously and tossed the remainder to Momo.

"Don't like the food?" Katara asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Nah, I prefer salty stuff." He replied, poking a plate of firm jelly with an ill look on his face. "I'm going to go see if there's anything else around town to eat."

Waving to the others, including a sulking Sokka, Sun propped open a window and slipped out, landing lightly on the ground in front of an amazed group of girls before walking off casually.

He trotted through the village with his hands in his pockets, looking around for food. He passed by a barely-open stall without a backward glance, until the scent of salt and meat hit his nose. Backtracking, he went inside the small stall, searching for the smell that tickled his taste-buds.

"Excuse me?" He called out.

A young woman popped out of closed kitchen area, looking surprised at someone being in her stall so early. "Er, yes? Can I help you?" She asked nervously. She recognized the man.

Sun smiled kindly at her. "I'm sorry to intrude, but I couldn't help but smell something delicious being cooked. What is it?"

"Oh." The young lady blushed fetchingly. "Well, I run this stall, and the main dish I serve is noodles, typically with meat and broth. It's called ramen."

Sun's eyebrows went up. "Can I buy some from you? If it's not too much trouble, this early."

"Oh no! It's no trouble at all!" She said nervously, moving back into the kitchen. "Please, take a seat, I'm almost done."

Shaking his head slightly, the blond took a seat at the counter and waited for a minute for the young lady to return. She bustled back into the room with a large bowl in her hands, which contained the dish called ramen. "I hope you like it." She said with a small, nervous smile.

Taking up the chopsticks given with the bowl, Sun dipped them in the broth and rounded up a small bundle of noodles before sticking them in his mouth.

He chewed once, then froze, his eyes wide.

The young woman fingered the hem of her apron in distress, her head bowed. "This…is so….good." She looked up in surprise, just in time to see Sun bring the bowl up to his mouth to suck down the broth, having shoveled the noodles in his mouth at a lightning pace.

Setting it down, he licked his lips. "That was delicious!" He exclaimed happily with a wide smile. "Can I have more?"

She nodded slowly before his words reached her brain, and she jumped excitedly, saluting for some reason. "Yes sir! More ramen coming up!"

Another bowl was placed in front of him and consumed in record time. After Sun ate another dish of his delicious meal, he reached out and stopped the young woman serving him. "I'm sorry for being rude, but what's your name?" He asked abashedly, having been caught up in his feeding frenzy.

"Y-you want to know my name?" The young woman asked, blushing shyly.

"Of course! I can't just keep calling you 'pretty young woman' in my head." He said honestly, her blush deepening in response.

"Oh, well, my name is-"

"Ayame!" Suki called as she strolled into the stall, "A bowl of your breakfast ramen, please!" She paused, seeing Sun sitting at the counter, _In my spot_ , with the normally cheerful waitress shooting her an angry glare. "What?"

Sun turned back to the waitress with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ayame. I'm Sun."

Ayame shook his hand, the redness in her cheeks being reinvigorated by the contact. "I know, I-I mean, it's nice to meet you too." She scuttled back into the kitchen as Suki came up behind the blond.

"So, you've discovered the wonder that is Ayame's ramen, I take it?" She asked jokingly, noticing the small pile of bowls on the counter near Sun.

He nodded and chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ha, you could say that, I guess. It's really good."

Suki chuckled a little, taking the seat next to him. "I know, I stop by here most mornings before we spar."

Sun noticed that the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors wasn't wearing her outfit, being in simple green pants and shirt, with her rather pretty face bare of paint. "Huh. It's kind of odd seeing you without your battle gear on." He said easily, sipping from a cup of green tea.

She arched an eyebrow at him questioningly. "Oh? And why is that?"

He shrugged, pouring a cup for her. "Well, I met you yesterday, but you looked very comfortable and confident in your gear, like you were meant to be wearing it and leading the Kyoshi Warriors."

Suki hid the small tint of red in her cheeks by taking a sip of her tea. "Well, I don't wear my armor all the time. I may be a warrior, but I'm still a girl." She stated.

It was Sun's turn to lift an eyebrow, small, sly smile crossing his lips. "I am very much aware of that." He said, almost flirtatiously.

Suki coughed as Ayame came out with two bowls, setting them in front of them with a small bow. They ate quickly and quietly, and Suki looked up after she finished. "It's about time for me to go," She said, setting her chopsticks down. "We're training today."

Sun looked up, interested. "Do you mind if I come watch?" Hearing how that could be misconstrued, he quickly added, "I noticed the style you ladies used and it looked very interesting."

She examined him with a critical eye, judging if he was a threat or not. Finding his words to be honest, she nodded and made to leave. "Sure. Maybe we can learn something from you, and the other way around."

"That would be great." He replied with a smile before turning to Ayame. "Thank you for the meal. How much do I owe you?"

She made to wave off his question, blushing fiercely. "O-oh no, I couldn't possibly take your money-"

He held out a pouch of coins and set it down on the counter. "I seriously have to pay you. This was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten, and I would feel enormously guilty if I deprived you of a profit. And, if not for the meal, then for the company."

The redness stretching from her forehead to her neck, the young woman took the pouch with a whispered thanks.

"Sun! If you want to come watch, you need to come now!" Suki called back from out of sight.

"Coming!" Sun turned back to Ayame and bowed. "Thank you for the meal. I will be back!"

He left the stall and followed after Suki, leaving a steaming Ayame to fall on a seat and fan herself.

They walked briskly on a path, coming to a low, simple dojo, where several girls all dressed in their Kyoshi Warrior attire stood around, waiting patiently for their leader.

"Ladies!" Suki called, getting their attention. "Sun has asked to come watch our training, and possibly spar with one of us. Tabi! Take the lead with the morning exercises."

One of the Warriors with a less-ornate headpiece nodded and directed the girls to their training. Sun took a seat nearby and watched as they trained, eventually being joined by a fully-dressed Suki, who took the lead.

After their calisthenics were done, they were lead into the dojo and began drilling with their fans as Suki led them through various forms and attacks.

"So, what are your thoughts?" She asked Sun as Tabi, her second in command, stepped forward to drill the girls again.

"Your fighting style is very interesting." He commented, watching the forms. "Based on what I've seen, your style revolves around using an enemy's strength against them, which is supplemented by your fans. It reminds me of my own style, in a fashion."

"How so?" Suki asked interestedly.

Sun shifted and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Well, I'm pretty strong, but my style revolves around my agility, avoiding blows and tiring an enemy while landing my own."

"That sounds interesting. Care to you show us some of your skill?" She questioned challengingly.

Sun chuckled and stepped forward as the girls cleared a space in the middle of the room. "Of course. To three?" He asked, discarding his cape.

Suki nodded and stood across from him, her fans out and unfurled in her stance. "Why are you not wielding your staff?" She questioned, sounding slightly insulted. "Do you not want to take me seriously?"

"It's nothing to do with taking you seriously," Sun replied seriously. "My staff is very heavy and is made of metal. I've accidently killed more than one person using it."

Suki frowned, leaving her stance. "How heavy can this staff of yours be?"

Sun shrugged and pulled the staff out of his pocket; it enlarged to full size to gasps from the Warriors, and he set it on the floor carefully. "Try and pick it up."

At their questioning looks, he pointed at the staff. "Seriously, try to pick it up, and you will understand why I don't wield this in spars."

Frowning, Suki approached the innocent looking staff and kneeled, wrapping her fingers around it and pulled.

It didn't budge.

Her face scrunching in confusion, she took both of her hands and tried to lift it again, grunting with effort.

It didn't budge. Again.

More Warriors came to help, grabbing at the golden staff and trying to lift it, to no success. Sweating lightly, Suki stepped back and wiped her forehead. "This is too heavy." She finally admitted.

Sun nodded understandingly and easily scooped the staff up, twirling it around him like it was made of simple wood instead of gold. "That is why I don't use it in spars."

"I can see your point." Suki said grudgingly. "I'm more interested in sparring with you than I was before."

Sun grinned, shrinking his staff and putting it away. Taking up his stance with his feet spread and his arms up and bent, hands loosely curled, the blond bender was ready to fight.

Suki made the first move, dashing forward and jumping, bringing her fan around and down; Sun spun out of the way and lashed out with a fist aimed at her side; she planted her foot and twisted, avoiding the strike and letting her other foot touch the ground. Now grounded, she kicked at his chest; Sun spun again, dodging the blow and dropping to the floor, sweeping his legs out.

Suki's feet were pulled out from under her, her back meeting the floor for nearly a second before she kicked up and rolled away from a follow-up heel from Sun. Coming to her feet, she leapt, spinning like a tornado, her fans flashing in the light, and they met again.

The watching Warriors were awed in equal parts by the skill of their leader and the skill of her challenger. Both were fast, raining blows at each other that, due to their swift dodging, rarely landed.

The first score came from Suki, who held one of her fans closed in a reverse-grip. She spun and kicked at Sun's head; he ducked underneath the blow and came up aiming a punch at her face. Her arm came down and one of her fans unfolded, knocking his aim off, following through by kicking the off-balance blond in the side of the knee and bringing her folded fan up to his temple.

"First point goes to me." She declared with a smile, sweat dripping down her forehead.

Matching her expression, Sun nodded. "Yes it does."

Moving quickly, he batted her hand aside and ducked underneath her arm, spinning forward into her space as she swung her right fan up. His left hand, palm up, came down and stopped her attack, then jabbed his fingers into her ribs and brought his right hand back and brought it forward, palm open.

The palm of his hand met her sternum, sending her sliding back across the floor, winded. "The second point is mine, however." He stated, his smile widening, a challenging glint in his eyes.

Suki nodded, a fierce grin spreading across her face as she charged at the blond with a war-cry. He met her charge and they battled, faster and fiercer than before. Blows that would definitely be damaging if they landed were unleashed with frightening ferocity and speed, and were dodged or deflected just as quickly.

Sun bent over backwards and kicked her fan up, flipping into the air and coming down with a leg out; Suki flipped away as he landed and came at him spinning; he deflected her strikes away and spun away before spinning right back at her as she struck at him.

They froze. Sun's fingers were inches away from her wind-pipe, his other hand inches away from her kidney. Suki's fan was pointed at his forehead, with her other poised to strike his stomach.

"It's a draw." They said at the same time, pulling away to amazed applause from the Kyoshi Warriors, panting and sweaty but more than satisfied.

They bowed to each other, and Sun bowed to the other Warriors as well. "Ladies, it's been a pleasure. But, it's that time of day for my training. Thank you for allowing me to intrude upon your schedule."

They bowed back to him, and he swept his cape up from the corner and onto his shoulders. "Wait," Suki spoke up, drawing his attention. "As our guest, and as the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, the Protectors of Kyoshi Island, it is my duty to make sure you are safe on our island. I will go with you."

Sun gave her long, searching look, before smiling. "If you wanted to come see my training, all you had to do was ask. No need to be so formal, Suki." He said teasingly.

She nodded in reply and turned to her second-in-command, leaving her to drill the Warriors once more.

The two warriors left the dojo, heading down the path. It split into two, one leading to the village itself and the other to a glacial stream that they drank from. As they took the other path, they spotted Sokka marching towards the dojo, grumbling about girls under his breath.

In the same minute, they saw Aang running away from a group of young girls who were cheering and yelling wildly.

Trading bemused and slightly amused looks, the two shrugged at the same time. "No offense, but your village is kind of weird." Sun stated.

Suki nodded, then added. "I think it might be the visitors in this case."

"Can't argue with that."

…

…

The scarred Prince Zuko stood at the prow of his ship, looking off into the distance over the water, his mind far away.

"Prince Zuko," A soldier spoke up. "We have spotted Kyoshi Island on the scopes, and we believe we will be there within four hours."

Nodding and dismissing the man, Zuko looked out over the water. _The Avatar is within my grasp once again…and so is Naruto._ He thought, his eyes narrowing. _Before I can bring the Avatar back, I need to know why. Why did Naruto not contact us if he's been alive all this time?_

He scowled lightly. _I will find my answers…Naruto, I have a lot of questions for you._

…

…

…

 **A/N: And that's that. Next part finishes off Kyoshi Island and enters Omashu. I figure, since Kyoshi is a Japanese-influenced place, I should add in ramen. Have you ever had real ramen? That shit is tasty, bro. And I would know, I've made it before.**

 **I also figured, accordingly, that since Sun is now traveling with them, events around them that happened as they did in canon, won't here. Naturally. Fanfiction and all that. Did you like the fight between Suki and Sun? I was trying to bring to mind one of the Kung-Fu movies, though I couldn't name one of the top of my head.**

 **And I feel that I will be asked if Sokka and Suki will be paired together. Short Answer? No. Long Answer? Noooooooooooooo.**

 **Look at how they acted around each other in the episode, which forms the basis for their relationship in canon. Since Suki has been spending time with Sun, and isn't in the dojo to give Sokka a few lessons, their relationship has no basis. Tabi, Suki's second in command, will be, however. Simply imagine her in Suki's place in the episode, but with different hair. And a voice.**

 **I'm not bashing Sokka, by the way. This was literally his attitude in this episode.**

 **And what will be the pairing, besides that, you ask?**

 **Pbbbbbbbbbbt.**

 **If that wasn't clear, let me try again.**

 **PBBBBBBBBBBBBBT.**

 **That's me blowing a raspberry at you, by the way. It also means that I'm not going to tell you. Not even if you bribe me. Okay, maybe if you bribe me. I could use the cash.**

 **And some people have guess that Hawk is Sasuke. Is he? All I have to say on the matter is: Fuck you.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: I'm loving all the reviews and whatnot on this, keep it up. I also published the first chapter of another story, The Life With Monster Girls, which is a self-insert of myself, a slightly less-fictionalized version of myself named Saul Dewitt. Not the one from Still Not A Hero (which you should read if you like Mass Effect), though similar. But much less violent.**

 **By the way, what the hell, Bioware? I was the one with the jetpacks first! I demand recompense! I will take a job, please. I mean I demand a job! Right!**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	5. The Battle of Kyoshi Island

Suki, the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, found herself in a strange conundrum. When she heard of intruders on their beach in Crescent Bay, ones who were foolish enough to let one of their own swim in the Unagi's waters, she hadn't expected anything strange. She was very wrong.

Instead, she had met with the Avatar, an excitable pre-teen boy who enjoyed showing off, an inexperienced but mature Waterbender, a somewhat misogynistic Water Tribal with a boomerang, and the Bounty Hunter who had managed to take down her traitorous predecessor.

Sun Naruto was a strange man, Suki figured. His hair matched his personality; bright, sunny and cheerful, and his eyes reminded her of the deeper waters in Crescent Bay, both in color and depth. Despite his personable personality, she could see in his eyes a strong sense of maturity and duty, with glints of a dangerous warrior lurking underneath, like the Unagi.

But, that was not what confused Suki. Nor was it the fact that she had seen him Airbend; even though he tried to hide it, and that he was now currently practicing Waterbending forms, showing that he could bend more than one element; despite that being considered impossible unless they were the Avatar, whom she had met, and Aang was not blond.

It wasn't even the fact that his last name, Naruto, sounded like it came from Kyoshi Island, and Suki knew damn well that she had never met anyone who had that shade of hair, or even blond hair in general.

No, it was that Sun practiced Waterbending shirtless. And damn, that man had some _abs._

 _That actually fits,_ Suki mused, her eyes following the bending and stretching contours of the blond's torso. _Not even my girls and I, working together could lift his staff…Spirits, that sounds dirty._

Sun could swing his staff around like it was wood, not the unearthly heavy metal that it was, and his body showed it. He wasn't lean and mean like her, or even like the Earthbenders she had met, who were burly and thickly muscled. He seemed lean, but his muscles looked to have been chiseled by oddly flexible stone.

Though, that did make her wonder. _What kind of unholy training did he go through to get a body like that?_

Sun sighed as the tendril of water he had been bending around himself for the past thirty minutes splashed into the glacial stream. His strength and his stamina were not something he could build up any further. His first year of training had mostly been picking up the Ruyi Jingu Bang, what was now his staff, along with meditating and unlocking his chakras, something he found to be extremely easy for some reason. He had tried to lift the staff for days before his master had taken pity on him and given him a lighter length of metal to work with. Though that one weighed one hundred pounds.

He snorted to himself, going through his cool-down stretches. He would probably shatter his first staff the first time he took a swing with it these days.

His strength had long since peaked, as had his stamina, so most of his exercises were to maintain those levels. His speed, however, was not at the highest level, which was why he had been looking forward to Airbending training.

But Aang had been spending the day being chased around by the village girls, basking in the attention, so Sun had decided to make his Waterbending smoother, if possible.

Sweat dripping down his skin, the blond bent a stream of water from the burbling stream directly into his face, showering himself in ice-cold water.

"Damn, that's cold!" He yelled reflexively, shaking his head. "So, Suki what did you think of my training?"

 _Besides the view?_ she thought to herself. "Well…it was kind of boring to watch until you started Waterbending," She said, somewhat truthfully.

She had found his ability to do countless amounts of simple exercises interesting, though it definitely got boring a few minutes in. She had taken to flicking pebbles at him to amuse herself.

Sun shrugged and pulled his shirt and vest on. "Yeah, I'm aware." His cape was thrown over his shoulders, and his burnt orange scarf was lightly wrapped around his neck. "So, want to-"

The question of going to get more ramen died on his lips as Oyaji ran past them in a panic.

Suki leapt forward, calling out to the village leader. "Oyaji! What's wrong?" She called worriedly.

The old skidded to a stop, panting heavily. "Suki! The Fire Nation is attacking the village!" He shouted, nearly out of his mind with anxiety.

Suki tensed, clutching her fans tightly. "What?"

Sun scowled. "Zuko." He muttered lowly.

"Oyaji, get the rest of the Warriors!" the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors ordered, and the old man scuttled off while she turned to the blond bender. "Sun, you're with me! We need to asses the enemy forces and distract them if need be."

"I'm right behind you," he replied, already dashing towards the village. They followed the path until the statue of Avatar Kyoshi that stood near the front of the village came into view, looming in the distance. Then, they moved into the trees.

Suki had lived on Kyoshi Island her entire life, and moved through the boughs with the ease of familiarity and her own considerable skill. Sun followed her, using his natural agility to bounce from branch-to-branch, barely disturbing the leaves.

The two warriors stopped on the border of the village, hidden in the foliage. Mostly hidden, in Sun's case, but the Firebenders riding up the center of the village on war rhinos were not looking into the trees.

At the head of the party, sitting astride a war rhino, his armor on but helmet missing, was Zuko, the angry red scar standing out on the flesh of his head. He was shouting something about the Avatar.

"Avatar! Reveal yourself, or we'll burn this village to the ground!"

Sun narrowed his eyes on Zuko, his mind racing. _What made Zuko act like this? Why is he hunting Aang?_ "Suki," He whispered, drawing her attention. "I'm going to meet the leader." He held up his hand to forestall her objection. "Use the time I give you to set up an ambush. When I say my name, drop in on them."

Suki frowned, not liking that plan at all. "Fine. But don't die, Sun." She reached out and took a hold of his face before leaning in and planting a lingering kiss on his cheek. "Something to motivate you," she said seriously.

His eyebrows went up when her soft lips touched his cheek. "I won't. I promise."

"He hasn't come out!" Zuko shouted angrily to his men. "Burn the village down!"

Hearing that, Sun leapt out of the tree, landing in front of Zuko. He gave a sharp, two-toned whistle and clapped his hands together. A sharp crack like thunder resounded through the village, causing the war rhinos to buck their riders off and stampede into the forest, leaving the Firebenders on the ground without having shot off a single spark.

Zuko was the first to recover, hopping to his feet to face the culprit. His face, once twisted in anger, fell slack in disbelief. "Naruto…I knew it. I knew it was you," he stated, far softer than his previous statements.

In her tree, Suki was joined by the other Warriors, and Sokka, though he was slower in the trees than they were. By a lot. The Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors shot Sokka questioning look. _How does he know Sun?_

The Water Tribe Warrior shrugged helplessly in response.

"How did you know it was me?" Sun asked easily, pulling his hood down.

Zuko's eyes narrowed as he pointed grandly at the blond man. "You are the only one who would throw glitter at me!" he shouted, trying hard to scowl, though the corners of his lips twitched upwards. "Do you know how hard it is to get that stuff off? And it got in my mouth! I was coughing up sparkles for a week!"

Chuckling, Sun shook his head. "As I've said before, Zu-Zu. It matches. Your sparkling. Personality."

They shared a short laugh at distant memories, before the atmosphere grew grim once again. "Why didn't you contact us, Naruto?" Zuko asked seriously. "Azula, Mai, Ty Lee and I…we thought you were dead. Why didn't you tell us you were still alive?!"

Taken aback, Sun frowned. "Who the hell told you I died? I escaped that place, Zuko, I didn't get caught."

The Fire Nation Prince clenched his fists at his sides. "My father…the Fire Lord…he was the one who told us that you died, and that you were a spy," he said through gritted teeth. "Is that true?"

Quirking an eyebrow, the blond bender shook his head. "Uh, no! Zuko, you should have realized this awhile ago. Your dad's a fucking liar!" he yelled, throwing his arms up. "He's also a dick! A giant, flame-spewing, robe-wearing, gold-coated, fucking lying dick!"

Zuko was surprised by Sun's angry outburst, and Aang, unnoticed to the two, landed on a nearby rooftop.

"Our friendship, Zuko," Naruto said, calmly this time, "is real. I never once lied to you, or Azula, or Ursa, or Mai and Ty Lee. After I ran away, successfully, not getting killed in any fashion; I was unable to contact anyone. But as soon as I was, I sent letters to you, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, but you never wrote back. I thought, since it had been such a long time, that we had just grown apart. It happens."

Slumping slightly, the Fire Nation Prince slowly shook his head. "Naruto, we never got those letters." He frowned slightly. "Where did you send them?"

"Your guys' home in the Fire…Nation…" Sun trailed off. "Ah, shit. Your dickbag of a dad probably intercepted them. What an ass."

Silence rolled over the village as the two childhood friends separately contemplated the affects that missing those letters had. Then, Sun broke it.

"My turn," he stated quietly. "Zuko, what in the name of the Spirits are you doing? Why are you hunting the Avatar? Why are you hunting Aang?"

Standing tall, the Prince took a deep breath. "My father…I spoke up in a War Meeting, disrespected a general, and I was challenged to an Agni Kai. My opponent…was not the general, as I thought it would be. It was my father." He bit his lip, restraining the urge to growl. "I begged for mercy, like a coward…and he did _this_."

Zuko pointed at the scar on his face, making everyone, even the hidden villagers and his own men, gasp in surprise and horror.

Sun gaped in shock. "That son of a bitch…Why didn't Ursa stop that?!" he asked angrily.

Zuko scowled, his nails digging into his palms harshly. "My mother…she disappeared the night my father succeeded Fire Lord Azulon. She vanished, and we've never heard from her."

His blue eyes, wide in disbelief, shock and outrage, his hands clenched tightly, his whole body shaking with fury. Naruto stomped the ground, making the earth crack under his strength. "Zuko…" His voice shaking, Sun looked at the Fire Nation Prince, his oldest friend, with a murderous expression twisting his normally cheerful face. It seemed like golden light was beginning to shoot from his eyes. "I. Am going. _**TO KILL YOUR FATHER WITH MY BARE FUCKING HANDS!**_ How dare he-!"

Sun growled like a wild animal, his fists held up in an expression of pure anger, blood pouring through his fingers as his nails sliced deeply into his palms.

Everyone drew back from the deep, radiating, murderous scream from Sun. Aang, his eyes wide, almost cowered at the sound; Katara, near tears from the story between the two, had the wetness flee from her eyes in fright. The Kyoshi Warriors, and Sokka, were staring at the blond man in shock.

Sun, eyes tightly closed, breathed deeply. Deeply inhaling, followed by a shallow exhale. The third exhale came with what looked like thin streams of smoke, though it could've been the light.

When his eyes opened, they were their normal deep blue, though dark to match his emotions. "That doesn't explain why you're hunting Aang, Zuko." He said, his tone even.

"The Fire Lord gave me a task. Find the Avatar, bring him back, and I will regain my honor and my throne as Prince of the Fire Nation. Don't fight me, Naruto. We can capture the Avatar, we can go back home, we can end this," Zuko explained, nearly pleading by the end.

Sun sighed and bowed his head, shaking it slowly. "Zuko…you are my oldest friend, my first friend, and I say this as yours, after hearing what has happened in your life since I left…that is stupidest thing I've heard come out your mouth."

The former Prince of the Fire Nation gaped at the blunt statement from his childhood friend.

"What in the hell makes you think that the Fire Lord, your father, the man who _scarred_ and _banished_ you, made your mother disappear, probably killed your grandfather and skipped over Uncle to become Fire Lord, will ever do anything that doesn't benefit anyone but himself?" Sun asked seriously. "Capturing Aang and taking him to your father will accomplish nothing, but throwing the world out of balance even farther than it already is."

Zuko took a deep breath and heaved a great sigh. "I had a feeling you would disagree…" he muttered softly. "But my path is set. I _will_ capture the Avatar, I _will_ regain my honor…"

Without turning, his amber eyes slid from Sun to Aang, who was still standing on the rooftop, staring at the two in shock. "And childhood friend or not, Naruto, you won't stop me!"

He twisted on his heel and punched, sending a blast of fire sailing at the young Avatar…or he would have, had Sun not dashed across the distance between them in a second, seized Zuko's wrist and pointed it down at the earth. The fire ball scorched the earth, and that was the only harm it did.

"Actually, Zuko…" Sun's voice was quiet, but his words echoed through the village. "I will."

His hand came up, smacking against Zuko's cheek, his left hand jabbing the Prince's ribs; his right hand came back, palm open, and slammed into Zuko's chest, sending the former Prince sliding back, shocked and winded.

"Naruto, this is a Bender's fight!" Zuko tried to reason with him. "Stay out of this, and you won't be harmed, I swear!"

Naruto frowned at his old friend. "These days, I go by 'Sun', Zuko." Sun stepped forward, bringing his fists together, small, twin waves of yellow-gold fire crashing and exploding off of one another. "Let me show you why."

He shook his arms and slid his left foot back, his left arm bent sideways, palm facing Zuko, his right arm drawn back, all of his fingers crooked like claws. The Kyoshi Warriors (and Sokka) dropped from their spots around the village and attacked the other Firebenders.

Zuko reacted and attacked, lashing out with his fists and his feet. Sun replied by knocking the first blow away, ducking under the second, catching the third and pulling the Prince forward to launch a fire-enhanced claw-strike at his midsection, the heat of the flames and the strength behind the attack sending him stumbling back.

Sun went on the offensive and flipped, bringing down a whip of yellow fire from his foot. Zuko crossed his arms and dispersed the flames; the blond planted his hands and spun his legs, bending streams of fire at the Prince.

He jumped over the attack and lashed out at Sun's head; he rolled to the side and engaged his old friend again. They traded rapid-fire blows, their close range allowing them to knock each-other's aim off, sending their bent flames into the ground and into the air.

Zuko over-extended and Sun took advantage; he sent a left hook at the Prince's head, who narrowly dodged it, but he missed the elbow that slammed into his jaw. With the Prince stunned, the blond stepped in and rained rapid blows, jabs and chops in equal measure, into Zuko's chest, ending it by slapping him in the face, making him stumble back to get kicked in the stomach by an armored leg, sending him tumbling across the ground.

Sun stepped back and brought his fingers to his lips, releasing a sharp whistle. Suki spun and jumped, bringing her closed fan down on a Firebender's helmeted head, stunning him and following with a spinning kick that sent him to the ground.

"Suki!" The blond bender called, sliding up behind her. "Zuko is only after us! We need to leave." He sighed and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I'm sorry we brought this to your door-step, Suki. You and the village didn't deserve this."

The Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors scowled at her friend (because that's what he was) as he blamed himself for the misfortune occurring, even though his thoughts did have merit. "Sun, it's not your fault, and I don't blame you. But know this," She leaned in and kissed his cheek again, lingering for a few seconds. "We are the Kyoshi Warriors! Protectors of the People! And that's what we will be, for the entire Earth Kingdom! Thanks to you, and the Avatar."

His eyes wide, Sun mumbled, "S-Suki…"

"Go, Sun!" She replied, not unkindly. "Before-"

Zuko charged at them, sending a whip of fire between them. Suki snapped open her fans, deflecting the flame away while Sun ducked under the attack and kicked at the Prince's legs. Zuko hopped over the attack and threw himself at them.

They slipped away from his jets of flame, Suki spinning and releasing one of her fans at his head; Zuko leaned backwards, kicking a length of red fire at her while the metal weapon whirled over his head.

Sun used his arm to knock the leg up, the fire missing the Kyoshi Warrior, who landed a hook to Zuko's face as he sat up from his dodge; spinning with the blow, he slashed at them, a blade of fire extending from his hand.

Suki huffed in pain as heat burned her arm and washed over her face; she lashed out and kicked him in the stomach, sending him back; her fan came back around and slammed into his back, sending him forward.

She and Sun attacked him from the back and the front, respectively, landing jabs and punches on to his chest. Zuko managed to dodge Sun's punch and twisted, grabbing Suki's fist and throwing it into the blond's chest, throwing his head back and feeling it connect with the Warrior's nose.

Both stunned an off-balance, he punched forward and kicked back simultaneously, punching Sun in the sternum and landing his foot in Suki's stomach. Zuko skipped forward and kicked his old friend in the side, making him grunt and stumble; he landed and spun, aiming at Sun's head.

The blond recovered and ducked, grabbing the Prince's foot by the ankle and shoving him back off-balance.

Appa landed near the front of the village, slamming his tail on the ground and bending a fierce wave of air down the village street, sending the Firebenders tumbling like chaff.

Katara had teamed up with a pair of Kyoshi Warriors to make an effective little squad: the two green-robed women would engage in hand-to-hand and knock the Firebenders off-balance, setting them up to be whipped by the Waterbender. She stumbled slightly as Appa landed, before nodding to the two Warriors and quickly climbing into the saddle.

Sokka had teamed up with Tabi who, with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, had earned his respect, both dressed in the traditional Kyoshi Warrior attire, face-paint and all. "I'm sorry!" he quickly said to Tabi, "for what I've been saying all day. And for treating you like a girl when I should've been treating you like a warrior."

Tabi smirked at him and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek. "I'm not just a warrior, Sokka, I'm a girl, too. Go. We will meet again."

His blush evident even through his paint, the Water Tribe Warrior nodded and dashed at Appa, shedding the clothes as he went (they weren't his, after all). He bounded up the sky-bison's tail and into the saddle, yelling, "Yip-Yip!"

Appa took to the air, his back-draft knocking the rising Firebenders back down. They circled the village, Aang jumping into the air to land on his companion's head and take up the reins, directing them to fly back around. "Sun!" Katara cried, seeing him still on the ground.

When Appa landed, his wave of air pushed Zuko forward, bumping into Sun, and they grabbed each other's arms to steady themselves.

Sun realized their position first, slipping his heel around Zuko's and using his strength by hip-tossing the Prince into the street. His eyes swept across the village's homes, meeting with the wide and frightened brown eyes of Ayame as she peeked out from behind a support of her stall.

He gave her a reassuring wink as a voice called out his name. He looked up to see Appa looping around the village. Sharing a nod of respect with Suki, he leapt onto the roof of a village house, bounding from there and twisting in the air to land on the Fan-like headdress of the Statue of Avatar Kyoshi. Sun bent and back-flipped high into the air, nearly floating through the sky.

Appa flew underneath him and he landed in the saddle, standing and looking into the village. Even across the growing distance, Zuko and Sun's eyes met. Slowly, Sun brought his hands up, one in a fist, pressing it into the heel of his left hand and bowed, in the Fire Nation style. _You are still my friend, Zuko._

Zuko breathed deeply and nodded. _As are you, Naruto._ "Back to the ship!" he called, taking off down the path. "Don't let the Avatar out of your sight!"

Sun heaved a deep sigh and slumped down into the saddle, cradling his head in his hands. "Sun?" Katara asked worriedly, scooting around the seat to lean against the blond man. "You…you know Zuko?"

He nodded, not bringing his head up. "Yeah…we grew up together, in the Fire Nation. I used to live in his house with him, his mother and his sister. His father, the Fire Lord, didn't know I was there...until one time, he found me and chased me out of the house, trying to kill me."

She gasped in dismay and put her arm around his shoulder.

"Did you mean what you said?" Aang asked quietly as Kyoshi Island disappeared into the distance behind them. "About the Fire Lord?"

"Aang…" Katara muttered sharply, directing a stern look his way.

Sun spoke up, his voice muffled by his hands. "I…I loved Ursa like she was my mother, like how I thought I would love my mother. Zuko was my best friend and so was his sister, Azula. That bastard…he scarred and banished Zuko, he banished and may have done worse to Ursa, he tore a loving family apart…"

He choked, water dripping from his fingers. "I have never hated anyone so much…but I don't want to hate anyone…I-I feel sick from anger and rage, and the desire to see that man pay for what he's done…not just to me, or Zuko, but for all of us…I don't know what I would do if I ever met him face-to-face."

Sun sniffled, tears running down his cheeks. "I hate him…but…"

Katara shushed him, wrapping her arms around Sun and pulling him into a caring, comforting embrace. He shook with unheard sobs as Sokka, Aang and even Momo joined in to comfort their friend in his distress.

…

…

" _Come on 'Zula, you know that stuck-up butler deserves it!" An eight, nearly nine-year-old Naruto whispered to the ebony-haired girl next to him, who giggled into her sleeve. "The only people who should be stuck-up in this place are you guys; you're actually Royalty, he just serves you guys."_

" _Why, you are right, dear Naruto." Azula remarked in a snooty tone, pointing her nose into the air. "I shall name you royal pointer-outer-of-obvious-things when I become Fire Lord."_

 _Giving her dry look that sent her into a rictus of giggles, Naruto replied, "I was joking about the stuck-up thing, you know. And I don't think that's a real thing. And Zuko's older, he'd be the Fire Lord."_

 _She shrugged uncaringly and nudged her brother. "Dum-Dum wouldn't be able to rule without me. We should share the position! Except that I get all the power. That way, I can make cake the Fire Nation National Food!"_

 _Zuko rolled his eyes at her. "You're usually the one to try and stop us from pranking people, Zu-Zu," his sister pointed out questioningly._

 _The young boy shrugged. "I would, usually, but I don't like this guy either. Stupid old man, telling me what I can't read…" He trailed off, grumbling._

 _Naruto and Azula shared a look at his offended face and giggled. Footsteps echoed through the hall and three children pushed themselves closer together in the corner of the doorway, smiling in anticipation._

 _A wire snapped, and a thick, bendy stick with a pie stolen from the kitchens whipped up, flinging the confection at the unfortunate victim's face, landing with a splatter that sent plum-flavored purple cream around the hall._

 _Tumbling out of their spot, laughing uproariously, they saw who they had pranked._

 _And the laughter died faster than it came._

 _It wasn't the stuck-up, haughty butler named Hao, their intended victim._

 _It was the stuck-up, haughty Prince Ozai, who had come home early, who was the victim of their prank._

 _The pie was incinerated as fire spewed from Ozai's mouth, reduced to ashes in seconds. His amber eyes, wide and flaring angrily with rage and humiliation immediately fell on the child he didn't recognize._

 _Naruto._

 _The blond child turned on his heel as an enraged scream of, "SPY!" echoed through the estate, and Ozai gave chase, fire leaking from his fists, so great was his anger._

…

 _Naruto had managed to hide in an empty cupboard in the library, shaking in fear as yells echoed through the house, fearful tears running down his whiskered cheeks._

 _The cupboard door swung open, making the young boy cry out in fear, only to come face-to-face with a worried Uncle. He put a finger to his lips and pointed at a nearby open window. "Go, Naruto, run!"_

 _Iroh turned and closed the library door, and Naruto heard his voice filter through the thick wood. "I think is saw him go this way!" And his footsteps faded as he led the others away from Naruto's spot._

 _The blond child scrambled out of the window and hit the grass with a thud and a panicked whoosh of air. He quickly got to his feet and raced across the lawn and through the unguarded gate; the sentries having been pulled from their duty to hunt 'the spy'._

 _Naruto ran through the gate, into the city streets, only looking back once before he exited Cindercone City, the seat of the Fire Nation._

 _As he ran into the distance, a shimmering blue portal appeared underneath his feet. He dropped through the hole in reality with a startled yelp and would not come back to Human World for some time._

 _..._

 _..._

It was early in Cindercone City, the seat of the Fire Nation, home of the Ember Throne. The sun's rays stretched through the city, bringing light and warmth to the inhabitants.

One man with grey in his hair and beard sat at his breakfast table, his beautiful wife and baby boy on one side, and his quiet, well-mannered (if dry in wit and personality) daughter on the other.

His perfect vision of breakfast was shattered by the screech heralding the arrival of a messenger hawk, the crimson-colored bird landing directly in front of him, dropping feathers onto his decorative bowl of dried flowers.

"Who would dare send a message this early?" He complained, trying to shoo away the messy bird.

"Maybe it's something important," Hie wife simpered while his daughter contained a sigh.

He managed to extricate the length of paper from the hawk, only to find a name, not his, written on the seal. "Ugh. Dearest daughter, it appears one of your 'friends' has sent you a message."

Mai looked up from her breakfast with an interested glimmering in her otherwise dull visage. "Who's it from?"

"Who 'is it' from, dear." Her mother corrected with banal smile.

Rolling her eyes subtly, Mai took the message and broke the seal with one of her hidden knives. She unrolled the paper and read, her dark brown, nearly black eyes scanning the words written in dark pink ink upon the paper. Hidden by the length of paper, her parents didn't see her widening eyes or her paling skin.

Swallowing quietly, Mai rolled the message up and stuffed it into her shirt. "May I be excused?" She asked calmly.

Quirking an eyebrow, her father asked, "What is the letter about, dear?"

She shrugged, trying to avoid showing them how she was really feeling, much like the rest of her life had been. "It is just from Ty Lee. She was just talking about how her time as a performer in the circus has been. Nothing too important."

"Humph." Her father huffed. "The nerve of that girl...yes, you may be excused, Mai."

Mai nodded to her parents and quickly strode from the dining room, reaching her room quickly. She quickly shut her doors and locked them, before slumping on her bed with a pillow clutched to her chest, tears of relief, joy and pain spilling from her eyes in equal measure.

"Naruto...I never believed you were dead..." She whispered to no one.

Mai cried for a while longer before sitting up, moving to her desk and grabbing a piece of paper and a brush. She had message to send to a friend she thought was long-dead.

...

...

...

 **A/N: Why yes, this chapter has been posted soon after the previous installment, fancy that, you weren't hallucinating. The funny thing is, I actually finished this chapter last night after about six hours of writing, and that's with the ten or so minutes I spent typing up the A/N. Plus I was tired, and I figured that most people have all Saturday to veg, so why not post it in the morning?**

 **I never joke about my writing skills. I do type at about 85 or so words per minute, and when I'm inspired, I can just type out a five-thousand-and-change-word chapter in six hours. The word count also supplemented by the two thousand words I spent the morning writing for The Life With Monster Girls, chapter two.**

 **But I'm still not going to be typing out the 10k monoliths I used to. I need my fingers, you know, and it's not easy to type when your hands feel like one of them is burning and the other is starting to go numb.**

 **So, I've revealed some of the history between Naruto and the Fire Nation. Feels all around, feels all around for free. Also, I hope that during the fighting, I presented Zuko as I mean to, a skilled and credible threat, much like in the stories. Maybe slightly moreso, actually. Elevating danger and all that. The songs that were playing during the writing of the scene were, in order, Pink Nightmares by Infected Mushroom, Word Forward by Foo Fighters, and Momma Said Knock You Out, by LL Cool J.**

 **Yes, my playlist was on random, why do you ask? Strangely fitting though, I must admit.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Why not tell me in a review? I wouldn't mind it.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: Something I've noticed in Fanfiction that pisses me off, is when people use the term 'Sparta Kick' to describe a straight front kick. Not everyone has seen that movie, and not everyone likes it, either. I don't. I thought it was pretty stupid, actually. The constant slow-mo, saturated colors and encroaching darkness made it basically unwatchable for me. So stop it. You know who you are.**

 **Addendum: Using just the terms to describe moves, like tornado lock or DDT or...fuck it, all those. Description is your friend, bitches! Use it!**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	6. The Acrobat's Circus

It had not been an easy night for the Avatar's group, not for everyone. The only ones who were able to sleep soundly were the two animal companions…and Sokka, who snored loudly, as was his usual. For the benders, however, it only made for an even harder night, and the biggest reason for it slept next to them.

The battle on Kyoshi Island was not the reason for their unrest. Both Katara and Sokka, who had grown up in an isolated village, had gained valuable experience since they left the South Pole on their journey. Even Aang was no stranger to violence, though the young monk wished he were.

No, that unfortunate honor fell on Sun, and how what he learned affected all of them. The normally cheerful blond had ended up crying himself to sleep on Katara's shoulder, and he refused to leave her side even while resting. The two of them had ended up having to share the saddle as a bed with a blanket covering them.

What had happened to Zuko, and who had been the cause of those events had awakened a feeling in him, one that he hadn't felt before, and one he really wished he didn't feel it now.

Hate.

Sun hated the Fire Lord. _Hated_ him. It burned in the pit of his stomach and the back of his mind like a white-hot fire that seemed to be eating away at his soul.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

Thankfully, the burn of his newly-born hate was soothed by a cooling presence that wrapped around him like the embrace of the Moon Spirit herself, all through the night. And while it could not completely rid him of his hate, it eventually soothed him to a quiet sleep.

Aang had an even harder time. Empathic by nature, he could feel and very nearly see the dark aura around Sun. It was like a bloody cloud spreading through a pool clean water, threatening to taint its depths with darkness. Nightmares joined him that night and he only had the overwhelming warmth of Appa, his oldest friend, to keep it from disturbing his rest even more.

Katara had fallen asleep very suddenly, unused to the warmth of another body and wear by the day's exertions. Visions of fear and pain tried to intrude on her dreams; only to consumed by rays of sunlight that absorbed those feelings and purified them inside of it. But concern filled her when the light flickered as it destroyed the intruders.

Sokka had no such problems. He actually slept well, with a smile on his face and thoughts of a Kyoshi Warrior, fierce, beautiful and graceful dancing through his head. Even in sleep, his face would darken with a blush when he remembered the feeling of soft lips pressed to his cheek.

…

Sun awoke slowly, blinking groggily in the grey light of the morning. Even though he had slept, he was still tired emotionally, feeling drained and listless.

Something shifted next to him, pushing him into full wakefulness. He managed to shuffle himself around, coming face-to-sleeping-face with Katara, her arms thrown around his chest. Feeling a small smile creasing his lips, Sun carefully extricated himself from her grasp, tucking the thick blanket around her and softly caressing her cheek. _I'll thank her when she wakes,_ he promised himself, slipping from the saddle.

The blond bender quietly exited camp, stopping to scratch Appa on the neck when the sky-bison cracked open one large eye to look at him. He walked a short distance, finding a relatively dry patch of grass to sit on and crossed his legs, closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Going from the Living World to the Spirit World was never something Sun could ever thought he would get used to. It was like passing through a pool of ice cold water, a burning ring of fire and a tornado all at once; not that it bothered him much, considering the frequency of his visits.

Opening his eyes, he found himself, once again, sitting atop a rocky, wind-swept mountaintop, similar earthen monuments rising above a blanket of white, fluffy clouds as far as he could see.

The light tap of feet meeting earth drew his attention to the man now standing behind him, a short, somewhat sad smile on his normally playful visage. "Ah, my student, I see you have experienced the joy of one of the blackest emotions." Master Wu greeted, taking a seat next to Sun on the mountaintop.

"I…yes, I have, Master." The blond replied with a dead tone. "This feeling...this burning. Why does it burn like fire?"

Wu sighed and rocked back on his tail. "Hate is one the worst emotions one can feel, my student, as you have discovered. It is a like a corrosive poison, slowly eating away at your soul. If it overwhelms you, it will seep into your very being; tainting your mind and spirit until you are nothing but an enraged shadow of your former self. And that is when one becomes a monster." He explained patiently, carefully watching his student's reaction.

Sun's face twisted in disgust and fear. "I don't want this feeling, Master, it makes me sick!" He spat, unwilling tears beginning to leak from his eyes. "How do I get rid of it?"

"And there is where there problem lies," Master Wu replied simply. "Emotions are what make us alive, my student. To remove one's emotions, is to become like a rock, the swell of a wave, a cloud in the sky, or a candle left alight after a visit during the night. They only exist _to_ exist, and are otherwise unimportant, even to those who manipulate them."

Confusion weighed heavily on Sun's tone. "So...what do I do, Master?" He asked carefully.

The Monkey spirit sighed, picking a peach from the nearby tree. "You must control your hate. It is but another feeling, just like all the others. Letting your hate control you is akin to starting a forest fire when trying to a light a candle with your Firebending."

He held his empty hand out, a yellow flame springing forth like a beacon. "Hate is much like Fire," Wu explained gently, spinning the fire into an orb of light. "When it is out of control, it burns everything, regardless of who, or what, it hurts in its need to consume." The orb exploded into a pillar of fire that shot into the sky, twisting and churning furiously.

"But, when it is controlled, regulated, _understood..._ fire is one of the most useful tools you will ever have." The Sun Spirit twisted his hand, bringing the pillar back down into his hand. With careful twitches of his fingers, the orb of fire was sculpted into the shape of a soaring dragon. He released the fire-dragon, letting it twist and turn around them, the crackling of the flames like a miniature roar.

It circled them once more before shooting up into the sky, bursting into a spray of glittering embers.

"So, what you are saying, Master...is that I need to understand why I feel hate?" Sun asked hesitantly.

Master Wu nodded once. "That is part of it. You cannot rid yourself of hate entirely, just as you could not rid yourself of love entirely. It is a part of us. Why do you feel hate?" He asked, even though he knew.

"I hate Ozai for what's he's done." The blond answered quickly. "He's supposed to love and care for his family, and yet...he scarred Zuko, he may have killed Ursa, _his wife_ , and he's thrown the whole world into turmoil."

The Monkey spirit arched an eyebrow at his words. "You put your personal reasons first," He noticed, "It's is hard to hate someone who has only had a hand in the misfortune of everyone, but easy to hate the one who did the deed personally. And why do you hate Ozai?"

"Because!" Sun yelled angrily, "He's their father, her husband! He's supposed to protect them, not tear them apart!"

"That's because Ozai is a bastard," Wu said simply. "He doesn't care about others, only about himself, and what others can do for him...and once they lose value, he discards them, like old toys. Not every family is like how you wish, my student."

"...I know." His student murmured unhappily. "But I can't believe it...I had heard, but I thought they were rumors."

"And you want to kill Ozai for what he's done, correct?" He asked casually, watching his student nod. "What you must do, my Student, is take that hatred, and channel into something productive. Use it to fuel part of strength, don't rely on it, use to defeat your enemies...and then rise above it. Hate will always be with you, like an ever-burning ember, just waiting to burst into fire. And you must control it. You feel your emotions, they don't feel you. You are their master, even if you don't feel like it times."

Sun swallowed thickly, nodding his head. "I...I think I understand, Master. Use my emotions, but don't let them rule me." He muttered slowly.

"Once again, you begin to understand my lesson after a figurative storm of metaphors, my young and occasionally stupid Student." Master Wu replied with a playful smirk.

Sun turned a dry look on his teacher. "And how many fortune cookies did you eat to get that many?" He shot back with a smile.

The Sun Spirit's stomach rumbled loudly. "Not enough, apparently." He joked, and they both laughed, the sound echoing through the empty landscape.

Once it died down, Sun stood and bowed deeply to Wu. "Thank you, Master." He said gratefully.

Master Wu bowed in return, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I joke, Young Sun, but I am your Master, and if you ever need advice or help, I will gladly give it. But don't think I won't prank you into next week when you come visit again."

Sun chuckled and faded from the Spirit World, opening his eyes in the Living World to find that the overcast sky had lightened, allowing streams of sunlight to break through. Sighing, he looked inwards, visualizing the fire of his hate burning inside of him.

 _I hate Ozai._ The fire burned brighter. _But I am not him. My hate will not consume me. I am better than that...I am better than_ him.

In response, the flames began to die down, shrinking until it resembled a small torch. Smaller, controllable, still present but not reigning over everything and casting it in a dark shadow.

With a weight lifted off of his being, Sun opened his eyes to the day and sighed in relief, standing and stretching his tight muscles. Approaching the camp, he found the others beginning to wake up. Katara was sleepily looking around for him, so he decided to see her first.

"Katara," He said quietly, drawing her attention. The Waterbender looked up at him, the grogginess fading quickly.

"Sun!" She murmured, quickly untangling herself from the blanket. "Are you alright?"

He smiled warmly at her, stepping forward and enfolding her in a tight hug. "I think I will be. Thank you, Katara, for caring about me." Sun said genuinely. He leaned in and pecked her cheek. "And thank you for comforting me."

Katara blushed heavily, but a small, happy smile lit up her face. "Of course I care about you, Sun." She whispered, tightening her arms around him. "You're my best friend. I would do anything for you."

She gently pressed her lips to his whiskered cheek, lingering for a second. "And I would do the same." He replied, squeezing her back.

They separated, both blushing but happy. Aang was the next to wake, his grey eyes immediately turning to the blond hair of Sun. "Hey, Sun. How are you feeling?" He asked tentatively.

"Despite the long night, I'm actually kind of tired." Sun admitted with a grin. "But I am feeling better."

"Well, you know, if you need a meditation partner, I'm always around." Aang offered, twirling his finger around his head and smiling.

"I'll keep that in mind." The touching scene was interrupted by Sokka popping out of his sleeping bag like a prairie dog with a strange exuberance, smiling widely.

"Goooood Morning, Everybody!" He called happily, "How's my favorite gang of traveling adventurers doing this fine morning?"

The three benders traded confused looks, wondering why the normally not-a-morning-person Sokka was being so excitable when breakfast hadn't even been started. "Are...you okay, Sokka?" Katara asked carefully.

He nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem to be...crazily happy." Aang pointed out, hiding behind Appa's tail. "You're smiling a lot, and it's freaking me out."

Sokka blinked before forcing his face into a dull expression. "No I'm not." He peered around, wondering where the others had gone, finding them taking cover behind the sky-bison's tail, shooting him suspicious looks. "What?"

"Nothing…" Sun muttered, casually coming out of hiding. "So...what's got you in such high spirits?"

Sokka shrugged. "Nothing." He replied simply.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Remembering yesterday's events, (the ones _not_ concerning a certain Kyoshi Warrior) the Water Tribe warrior sent a concerned look the blond's way. "How're you feeling, buddy? You okay?"

Sun nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. Let's get started on breakfast!"

Sokka whooped, throwing his hands in the air. "Yeah! Now that's something I can get behind!"

…

Thankfully, after breakfast was eaten, Sokka's attitude had reverted back to his normal self. "So, this place we're visiting, it's called 'Omashu', right?" He asked as they walked a well-worn path through a copse of trees.

"Yup!" Aang cheerfully replied, nearly skipping down the road. "I used to visit my friend Bumi here a hundred years ago. Omashu has a unique mail delivery system that runs through these really long stone chutes that go all over the city. We're gonna ride them!"

"That sounds like fun," Sun commented with an excited smile. As they walked along the path through a thin copse of trees. "But, and I hate to be the mature one, wouldn't using these chutes as slides be illegal? With them having an official use and all."

"I was thinking the same thing," Katara admitted, "It also sounds kind of dangerous, to be honest."

Aang spun around, skipping backwards with a wide grin. "Don't worry guys, it'll be fine! Besides, I'm the Avatar; it's not like they'll make a big deal about it!"

Sokka coughed lightly, playing with the band keeping his 'wolf-tail' tied up. "Yeah, Aang, I don't think that's a good idea, telling a bunch of people that you're the Avatar. The Fire Nation could have spies anywhere...right?" He asked Sun.

The blond bender nodded solemnly. "Spies." He said, wrapping his arm around Aang's shoulders, his other hand coming up and waving at the horizon. "Spies everywhere."

Noticing the depressed slump of the young Avatar's shoulders, Katara spoke up. "But hey, we can get you a disguise, Aang! Wouldn't that be fun?"

Aang perked up, his smile back in place. "Yeah, that would be fun! But how, though? I can't just grow a mustache or a beard or something." He pointed out, scratching the blue arrow on his bald head.

Sun opened his mouth to respond, when a sharp, familiar chirp sounded from above his head. Looking up, he spotted the form of Fire Nation messenger hawk perched on a branch, giving him meaningful looks and tapping the carrier strapped to its back with its beak. "Hey, you guys go ahead without me." He said suddenly. "I just remembered something I need to do nearby."

Then the blond broke off from the group and quickly walked away. The remainder shot confused and concerned glances at each other, before shrugging and discussing disguises.

Sun whistled sharply, bringing the hawk down and letting it land on his bracer. He stroked the dark red crest on it's head before uncapping the container and retrieving the rolled up paper inside. Almost immediately, he knew who had written him by the light pink paper and the scent of peaches wafting off of it. "Ty Lee…" He murmured, gently unrolling the scroll.

His eyes scanned over the girlish, loopy writing, going wider with every line he read.

 _Dear Naruto,_ it read, _I always knew you were alive! I knew it! I just…_ that part of the paper was distorted and warped by water...tears. And that made Sun feel very guilty; it wasn't entirely his fault, but he should have known that Ty Lee, one the most kind-hearted girls he'd ever met, wouldn't have ignored his letter. _...I thought I might have been deluding myself and I didn't want to find out if I was wrong...I didn't think I could take it._

 _But you're alive! When I got that letter from Azula, I actually cried! I'm still crying just a little, sorry if some of the words are hard to read, but I'm just so happy. I didn't think it was possible for my aura to get this pink, but it is! Though, I also heard that you're traveling with the Avatar, Naruto. I don't know why, but please...be careful. He's an enemy of the Fire Nation, and I don't want anything to happen to you...not after just getting you back._

 _Stay safe, okay?_

 _And if you get the chance, come see me! I ran away and joined the circus, just like we planned! We run around the colonies and this time of year, we're in Yaogua. I would love to see you again, Naruto._

 _Your friend, Ty Lee._

 _P.S. Do you like this paper? I got it specially ordered and it's just so cute!_

Smiling at the postscript, Sun rolled the message up and stored it away, before retrieving his map. "Yaogua…" He muttered, drawing his finger to the town's name. _That's only a couple dozen miles from here._ Sun thought enthusiastically, withdrawing the cloud pouch.

He pulled the top open and ducked as the cloud suddenly inflated, before hopping on top of the golden formation and holding on tight as it took off, leaving behind a trail of sparkling mist.

…

Sun felt excitement bubbling inside of him as the sprawling, colorful circus tents came into view as he flew above the Fire Nation colony of Yaogua. It hadn't always been a colony; once a small Earth Kingdom village that was only affiliated with the Earth Kingdom by being set in the Earth Kingdom. They were one of the few colonies that hadn't been taken over. Instead, they had willingly allowed the Fire Nation to install a governor and a military outpost.

But Sun didn't care about the history of the place as he set down at the outskirts of the small town of tents. He stored the cloud away and entered the circus area, heading towards one of the smaller canvas homes, the only one that was dark pink. Either that would be Ty Lee's tent, or it would be someone who knew her or was her friend. Or a disgruntled burly man, but there was a low chance of that.

On his way, the blond bender was intercepted by a short, mustachioed man who was carrying a pair of poles on his shoulders, each end holding a bucket full of water. "What-ho, young man!" He cried grandly, waving. "Can I help you?"

Pausing, Sun turned to small man. "I'm looking for Ty Lee, can you direct me to her tent?" He asked politely, giving a short bow.

The short man arched a bushy eyebrow in question. "Sweet Ty Lee? What do you want with her?" He replied suspiciously.

"I'm an old friend." Sun said easily. "We just got back into contact, and I was in the area, so I wanted to pop in and see her."

"Oh!" The short man smiled widely, showing two rows of very white, shiny teeth. "Well then, her tent is right over there!" He pointed at the dark pink tent Sun had already been heading to.

"Thank you." Sun thanked the man and strode past, trying to restrain himself from running. No one would blame the young man for wanting to make a good impression, could they? Ignoring the fact that both the blond and Ty Lee were childhood friends.

"Ty Lee?" He called softly, peeking through the flap.

"One sec…" A sweet female voice mumbled back groggily, followed by the shuffling of clothes.

Sun stepped inside and looked around, finding the interior to be much like he figured it would be. Mostly pink decorations with dark red and splashes of yellow thrown in, and more than a few flowers thrown around. There was a simple wooden vanity on one side, with a golden headpiece on a stand, a pearl-handled brush and a comb, and a small picture lying on the desk.

Scooping up the picture, Sun smiled sadly at the what was painted on it. It was him as a child, with an equally young Ty Lee wrapped around his shoulders, wide grins on both of their faces. On his right was the child form of Azula, who was trying to sit regally, but was failing because of his arm around her neck, pulling their faces together. And on his left, lying on the ground with her head propped up on his thigh, boredly studying an apple with an almost imperceptible smile curling her lips, was Mai.

Sun sighed sadly, remembering the situation behind that painting. It had been done by Ursa, wanting to capture the happiness of the kids she considered her children, even though she personally knew Mai and Ty Lee's parents. Zuko was supposed to be in the picture, but he was so enraptured by his mother's clean, smooth and sure brush strokes that he had sat with her instead, watching as she drew them with a confident hand.

"Hey, don't touch...that…" Ty Lee called to the white-robed-and-hooded stranger touching one of her most prized possessions, before he jumped in shock and whirled around to face her, revealing his bright blue eyes, sunny blond hair and whisker-marked cheeks. "Naruto?"

Naruto blinked slowly in surprise. "Ty Lee?" He murmured, staring at her with wide eyes.

Her long, brown hair was out of the ponytail she usually kept it in, cascading down behind her shoulders and hanging around her cheeks like slightly messy curtains. Her soft grey eyes were wide in shock, with a fluffy pink bathrobe wrapped around her body. "Naruto!" She cheered joyfully, quickly crossing the distance between them and hurling herself at him.

Sun stumbled as he received an armful squealing young woman, her arms going around his neck, his supporting her weight as he recovered and hugged her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. "It's been so long," He mumbled into her robe, taking in her scent of apples, peaches and just general sweetness. " I missed you."

She squeezed him tightly, fresh, happy tears wetting his cheek. "I missed you too." Ty Lee snuggled deeper into his embrace, sniffling, her shoulders shaking. Sun felt around behind himself and found the stool in front of the vanity, before sitting himself down and falling into the long-time coming hug.

They sat together for several minutes, simply holding each other, letting nearly ten years of worry and sadness be replaced by warmth of the other's presence.

Finally, she opened her red eyes, tear-tracks marring her cheeks, but a wide smile on her lips, Ty Lee pulled back and wiped at her face with her sleeve. "I'm so glad you came to see me!" She exclaimed happily. "I thought you would for sure, but not this soon. I only sent out my letter last night!"

Sun shrugged, unable to keep a smile from his face. "I got it this morning, and when I saw that you were close by, I came over as fast as I could." His smile faded slightly, his hand rising up to cup her cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't...do something more, Ty."

She returned the gesture, tracing her soft fingers along his jaw. "Me too. But then doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you're here, with me." Her eyes glittered as she hugged him again.

Eventually, Ty Lee stepped off of his lap, brushing her hair away from her face. "Just let me get dressed and I'll show you around, okay?" She disappeared behind a curtain before he could reply.

Sun sighed, rubbing his face, shooting a look at the sketch on the vanity. He was glad he had seen Ty Lee first, as she was the probably the most emotional of the girls. Azula and Mai, though, he didn't know how they would react. Hopefully they wouldn't throw anything at him. Especially after he told them the news.

"Done!" Ty Lee called, emerging from her little cloth cove. "What do you think?"

Naruto looked over her outfit, immediately recalling what she wore when she was a kid, but changed to fit her matured body. A pink shirt with short, billowing sleeves that ended just below her elbows, with a darker colored triangular with the points resting on her shoulders and between her breasts; the hem extended just below her chest, leaving her toned stomach bare; She had some sort of sash or belt with red cloth tails hanging from it, and under that, pink billowing pants that were bound below her knees. Along with those, she also had wrist-wraps and tight slippers, both dark red.

Her hair was twisted into long braided ponytail, and the bindings keeping it in place were a dark, burnt orange. "You kept my gifts." Naruto muttered, seeing the small orange bands flash as her hair flowed behind her.

Ty Lee caught her ponytail and played with the end. "Of course I did, Naruto." She replied quietly, looking at him shyly. "It was the only thing I had to remember you by, besides the picture."

The blond stood up from his seat. "Well, why don't you show me around your new home?" He held out his hand with a smile.

She took it and folded it with her own before leading him from the tent. They walked around the circus, Ty Lee explaining the various ins and outs of the production, pointing at the tents of the other attractions, including a strong man (the small mustached man Sun had met earlier), a man who could swallow swords, a beast tamer and a silly men and women, along with other acrobats.

The two of them stepped into the main there was no show at the time, it was empty; though he did notice that a tightrope seemed to be the center of attention. When he asked why, Ty Lee blushed uncharacteristically. "Well, I'm kind of the main attraction," She admitted embarrassedly. "A lot of people come to see me perform."

"Oh." Sun replied, nodding. "I'd like to see that, someday."

"Then stay until tonight!" Ty Lee exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "We have a show tonight, and you can see me then! It'll be so exciting!"

Sun smiled, though it fell a few seconds later. "I will have to go back with my friends, though. I can't just leave them all day." He said, frowning slightly.

The acrobat's face fell, and she turned to face him. "Do you have to go? Why can't you stay here? With me?" Water pooled at the corner of her eyes, her hands clasped in front of her mouth.

"Ty Lee…" Naruto whispered, stepping up and laying his hands on her shoulders. "I have to help the Avatar. He needs to defeat the Fire Lord."

"Why?!" She yelled angrily, dashing away her tears. "Why help the Avatar, Naruto? He's the enemy! He wants to destroy the Fire Nation!"

Sun snorted in amusement at the thought of Aang wanting to 'destroy' anything. Beside a pie, maybe. "Ty, I've been traveling with the Avatar for a little while now, and I can say with some certainty that he wouldn't want to destroy anyone, even the Fire Lord…which might be problem, now that I think about it."

Ty Lee frowned, now more disconcerted than unhappy. "Why would that be a problem, Naruto?" She asked confusedly. "Why would you want the Avatar win against our home?"

"He doesn't want to destroy the Fire Nation, he just wants to bring balance back to the world." Naruto explained. "And you know what Ozai did to Zuko. Do you really want someone like _that_ to rule the world? If he doesn't burn it down first?"

"Well…" The acrobat looked away, scratching cheek. "That wasn't very nice of him...so, no, I guess. But it's not like I can do anything. I'm just an acrobat." She shrugged helplessly.

Sun gave her a slightly exasperated but fond look. "I'm not asking you to do anything, Ty. I'm just want you to understand why I'm doing what I'm doing." He smiled slightly, looking a little ashamed. "I just got you back...I don't want to lose your friendship again."

Ty Lee threw her arms around him, tightly hugging her blond friend. "You never lost it, Naruto." She said firmly, looking directly into his eyes. "It just got lost for a little bit."

Sun smiled in relief and squeezed her gently. The touching moment was interrupted by a low, rumbling growl, which made the blond look around in alarm. Ty Lee blushed lightly, rubbing her stomach. "That was you?" He asked with amusement.

"I haven't had breakfast yet!" She replied defensively, folding her arms around her midriff and turning away with a huff.

Chuckling, Naruto slung his arm around her shoulders. "Well, lead on, then. I did distract you after all, so I'm responsible for you not getting your morning meal. And I hear those are very important in the circus."

Ty Lee dug her elbow into his ribs good-naturedly before slipping the limb around his waist and leading him to the dining area. It was wide open area well away from any tents, a fire pit with a well-used cauldron sitting atop the crackling flames, surrounded by a few low wooden tables.

The men and women sitting around the table loudly greeted the acrobat, and the strong man with the mustache waved at her from his position over the cauldron. "Sweet Ty Lee! I see you've met your friend, but you spent so much time together that you missed breakfast! If you pull up a seat, lunch'll be ready in a few minutes!"

Sun took a seat next to the pink-clad acrobat as she sat at one of the tables, across from a woman in a sleeveless burgundy top that was trimmed with gold. "Who's the stud, Ty Lee?" She asked, winking a dark brown eye in his direction.

The cheerful young woman frowned minutely. "He's a friend from my childhood, Shiang." She lightly pulled the blond to her side.

Shiang smirked, one slim eyebrow lifting in amusement. "Well aren't you being a little possessive, Sweet Lee?" She said teasingly.

Ty Lee blushed, but didn't let go of his arm. "I see how you're eyeing him. He's not like the beasts you can tame!"

"That has yet to be proven." Shiang shot back, before waggling her eyebrows at Sun. "What'd you say, 'childhood friend'? Want to see my collection of whips?"

"No." The blond replied dryly.

"Ooh," The beast-tamer made an impressed face. "he didn't even hesitate. This one might be a keeper, Sweet Lee."

Ty Lee pouted cutely, crossing her arms. "That's not funny." She muttered.

Shiang laughed loudly at the expression on the acrobat's face, as did most of the circus folk. "You know I'm just kidding, Ty Lee." She directed a glance at the blond. "I was just kidding about the whips, by the way. You got a name?"

"He's Naruto," The acrobat introduced him, "We grew up together in the Fire Nation."

The mustachioed strongman strode up to the table, his arms laden with bowls full of soup. "Naruto, eh? That's a strange name."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know. I actually go by 'Sun' these days." He said to Ty Lee, thanking the man for the food.

Eyeing his sunny blond hair, the acrobat hummed. "I can see why." She admitted easily, "It matches you aura, too."

As they started in on the meal, Sun looked up and asked a question that had been on his mind for a bit. "Why does everyone call you 'Sweet Ty Lee'?" He asked the acrobat.

The beast-tamer sitting across from them reached out and ruffled the fringe of Ty Lee's hair. "It's because she's so sweet, like a fluffy little bunny-cat kitten!" She drew her fingers back as the pink-clad acrobat bit at her hand, white teeth snapping at the space her hand had occupied. "See? She's just so cute!"

Sun chuckled at the redness in his friend's cheeks. "I figured, but didn't want to assume. She's always been sweet."

The acrobat, now thoroughly embarrassed, buried her face in the bowl of soup. "So, what can you do?" The strongman asked the blond. "Ty Lee's the best acrobat I've ever seen, and you're her friend, so that must mean you should be impressive too!"

 _What kind of logic is that?_ Sun thought to himself. Outwardly, he replied, "Well, I've got pretty good balance, I'm fast and I'm very strong." _I'm not going to tell them about my Bending._

"Oho?" The mustachioed man quirked an eyebrow. "And just how strong are you?"

"What's your name?" The blond replied, tired of referring to the man by his facial hair.

"Chao, at your service!" He said proudly.

Sun nodded. "Alright, Chao, what is the heaviest thing you can lift?" He asked curiously.

The strongman jacked a thumb over his shoulder at a large, pitted boulder sitting away from them. "I lift that in the show! It weighs several hundred pounds."

 _Compared to my staff, that's pretty much negligible._ The blond bender thought dryly. "I could lift that pretty easily." He admitted honestly. This was met by several skeptical looks. "What?"

Looking more than a little offended, Chao crossed his arms over his muscled chest. "If it so easy for you, why not show us?"

Sun looked down at the bowl in his hands, then back up. "Right now?" He questioned.

"Yes, right now." The man's tone told him that he expected the blond to backpedal.

"Alright, fine." The blond stood from his seat and strode over to the boulder.

Back at the table, Shiang turned to Ty Lee. "Your friend might be trying to impress you, Sweet Ty Lee, but you should stop him before he hurts himself. That rock is seriously heavy."

A slight grunt echoed through the area as Sun quite easily hefted the boulder up into the air, holding it with one hand and no discernable strain. "Good enough?" He called to them, gently setting on the ground. Walking back, he retook his seat and glanced at Chao. "And that felt more like a couple hundred pounds, not several."

He went back to his meal, only to be pulled back from it. "How in _Agni_ did you do that?" Shiang asked in pure awe.

Sun shrugged. "I'm very strong." He said simply. "I carry heavier things around all the time."

Their eyes were drawn to the bracers on his arms. "How did you get so strong?" The strongman questioned quietly, looking shocked.

"You know the term 'training from hell'?" He replied with a question. "Multiply that by like, four. My teacher was an evil, wise old bastard who found my struggles hilarious, but he taught me how to be strong."

"How heavy are those things?" Ty Lee asked, managing to shake her stupor off.

Sun shrugged and removed one, handing it to Chao, who nearly dropped the white and gold metal, his face turning red, veins popping out of his neck as he strained to hold it. "I don't know. I've worn them for so long that I sometimes forget I'm wearing them." He admitted casually, waving his arm and feeling the absence of weight. _I wonder, if I took off all of my armor, could I fly?_ His eyes flicked to the sky as he took the bracer back and slipped it on. _More so than I already can, anyway._

All conversation died after the little show, leaving only the soft clinking of spoons on bowls, and that eventually broke up as the crew prepared for the night's show.

Ty Lee looked up at Naruto with a pleading visage, her grey eyes wide and emotional. "Please stay for the show, Naruto? I really want to show you how good I am! Please?" She begged, her lips trembling.

Sun sighed and nodded, getting an excited squeal from his friend, who lunged at him in a fierce hug. "Hold on! I'll stay for the show, but I need to check on my friends. It'll just take a couple of minutes; I'll be there and back in half an hour, an hour at most."

"Yay!" Ty Lee cheered happily. "The show starts in two hours, be back before then! I know you'll like it!" She quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek and rushed off, possibly unaware that of the redness suffusing his cheeks.

Sun blinked in surprise, softly touching the spot her lips had made contact with, and gulped audibly. _Well, I'll just go see what the rest of the gang got up to. Probably nothing much, Katara's with them, how much trouble could they have gotten themselves in?_

…

"We're in serious trouble." Sokka whispered to his sister out of the corner of his mouth. "This guy is crazy!"

 _Why didn't I just listen to my instincts and stop Aang from riding the chutes?_ Katara lamented to herself as the crazy king faced them with a serious look on his wrinkly visage. _I wish Sun was here._

…

Sun walked up the streets of Omashu, heading towards the Palace. The guards, recognizing him, let the blond in to the throne room, where the Mad King Bumi sat on his throne, playing with a metal ring puzzle. "Master Bumi." Sun bowed in respect to his Earthbending teacher.

"Ah, young Sun!" The crazy old man greeted with wide grin. "So good to see you, my boy! It's been awhile!"

The blond sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Ah, yes...sorry about that, Master-I mean, Gramps. I've been kind of busy." He apologized.

"Ah, don't worry about it, guiding the Avatar is a time-consuming job, I would assume." Bumi smiled at the dry look on his student's face. "Yes, I even met the young man and his two Tribal friends...after they were arrested."

A loud smack echoed through the room as Sun's palm met his face. "What did they do?" He asked with a sigh. _So much for that._

"Illegal use of the inter-city postal system, property damage, and the destruction of a cart full of cabbages." The king listed off on his fingers. "Though I did drop the last one. Who even likes cabbage, anyway?"

The blond bender shook his head ruefully. "What is their punishment going to be?"

King Bumi shrugged. "Community service." He replied smoothly.

"Yeah, that fits." Sun agreed, though he was a bit suspicious. But, it wasn't as if Bumi would make them do anything to dangerous. Just crazy. And they could handle crazy. They could handle Aang and Momo. "Alright, Gramps, I'll be back tomorrow to pick them up after they're done."

"Okay!" The king replied, waving to his student. "Have fun with your friend!"

Sun just shook his head. The king was mad, but he somehow just knew things. One got used to it after a while. They had too, or they would end up like Bumi.

…

Sun watched an unrestrained awe as Ty Lee did her act on the tightrope high above the crowds' head, her lithe form dancing along the rope like it was solid ground, flipping, bending and contorting. _I might be able to do some of that,_ The blond thought slowly, watching her stand on one finger in the center of the rope. _But I would have to use my bending for it. She can do this through natural talent and training._

He frowned slightly as a sudden thought occurred to him. _Ty Lee is naturally gifted with acrobatics, she can nearly dance through the air, and she can jump as far as Aang and I can, through no visible means...Is Ty Lee the child of an Airbender?_

Those thoughts fled as he looked up, his eyes meeting Ty Lee's shining grey. Pure happiness shone there. With her flushed cheeks, sweat from her exertions sliding down her visage and the wide grin on her lips, she looked happier than she ever had.

Sun was one of the first to stand for the standing ovation she received as the show ended, and the big tent was filled with cheers and thunderous applause.

After the show, Sun stepped into her tent as she removed the last extra bits from outfit and stored them away. "Ty Lee, that was amazing!" He said in wonder.

She smiled widely, a pleased blush on her cheeks. "Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it! I made it extra-special because I saw you in the audience. I'm glad it worked out." By the end of her of her sentence, her tone had become more subdued.

"What's wrong, Ty?" Sun asked worriedly.

Ty Lee played with end of her braid, looking away. "You're going to leave soon, aren't you?" She asked in an uncharacteristically solemn tone.

The blond bender nodded with a slow sigh. "I have to, Ty."

"I know." She replied, sniffing. "But...can you stay for the night?"

"What do you mean?" Sun asked quickly, his heart suddenly thumping. His childhood friend had become a beautiful young woman.

"Remember when we used to have those sleepovers?" Ty Lee questioned, removing the bands from her hair, letting it cascade down around her shoulders. "Like that, but...just us."

"Oh." Relieved and slightly disappointed, Sun thought for a second. _The others will be taken care of, it's not like Bumi would torture them or anything...and I do want to spend more time with her…_ "Okay."

The acrobat looked up with an excited look her face. "Really?" She lunged forward and hugged him tightly. "Okay, just give me a minute."

She disappeared behind the curtain for a few minutes, before calling out, "Okay, come back!"

Sun removed his armor and his cape, piling them together near the vanity with his scarf, and stepped into the back of the tent. Ty Lee was lying on a fluffy mattress, looking up at him with shining eyes. "Uh, can I have a pillow?"

Ty Lee frowned cutely. "Why?"

"So I can have a pillow while I sleep on the floor." He replied simply.

The unhappy bent of her lips increased a little more. "You're not sleeping on the floor." She said, crossing her arms. "We used to sleep together during our sleepovers, not someone on the bed and the other on the floor!"

"Uh…" Was the most Sun could say, before shrugging. "Alright, scoot over then."

He slipped under her bed on the small for two people mattress and lay on his side, facing his friend. Ty Lee cuddled up to his chest, pressing herself against him. "Goodnight, Naruto." She murmured happily.

"Night, Ty Lee." He replied, the warmth she exuded lulling him to sleep.

"Sun...Naruto?" She whispered his name quietly.

"Hmm?" He replied, not opening his eyes as she shuffled a bit.

He started as a pair of soft lips met his own, her soft hands cupping his cheeks. His eyes snapped open, finding Ty Lee gently kissing him with her eyes closed. "I've always wanted to do that," She murmured, pulling away and then wrapping her arms around him. "Just in case I wake up and this was all a dream."

Sun hugged her to him, his mind racing. _When we wake up...we need to talk._

….

…

…

 **A/N: So yeah, there's the next chapter. It took a little longer than I like, but hey, it's not as if I have a schedule or anything.**

 **This chapter did get a bit preachy at the beginning with the whole 'hate is like fire' storm of metaphors, but both Naruto and Avatar could get really preachy. Naruto about the stupid fuckin' power of fuckin' friendship, and Avatar about...peace, I guess. Eh. Just think of it as an homage to those parts of the shows and not a way for me to get the character out of his angst quickly because I hate angst. Or don't, either way.**

 **And fuck the power of friendship, what has it ever done to for me?**

 **By the way, I'd like to thank NSG, Kuro and Osprey for their ideas.**

 **So, there isn't a whole lot of action, but things will pick up next chapter, whenever that may be. I'm going between this, Dare To Wander, Still Not A Hero, The Life With Monster Girls and Jinchuriki of the World Eater. I go between all of them when the mood strikes me, plus I still have classes going on. So I write when I have time.**

 **Question: Should Ty Lee join the Avatar Gang? I'm leaning towards no, and I'll probably stay there, but opinions would be nice.**

 **How does Sun know Bumi? I know, and I'm not telling you, I just asked it so you don't have to, that way you can leave meaningful words and criticism in a review instead of a question I'm not going to answer because I have integrity! For Sale.**

 **If you liked it, why not review? I appreciate every one I get, and it does give me some motivation. So why not?**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: Susano means 'He who helps by all means', right? What if it was like, the manga representation of Kishimoto protecting his stupid damn Uchiha? And the 'impenetrable warrior skeleton' was the visualization of Plot Armor? Makes sense to me. And that's the only part of Naruto canon that does. And I just made it up. And that's sad.**

 **Because fuck it.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	7. The First of Many

Ty Lee had never felt this warm and safe in her life, and in her just-awakened state, she wondered why. Groggily blinking her eyes, she glanced up and found the sleeping face of her childhood friend close to her own, his lips slightly parted as he lightly snored, his breath ruffling the top of her hair.

She smiled as the previous day's events came to the forefront of her mind and snuggled closer to Naruto-or Sun, as he now called himself-and held him closer. Inwardly, she marveled at the warmth of his skin and firmness of his muscles, and the gentle but encompassing way he held her in his sleep. Naturally, her eyes were drawn to his lips, and she remembered the kiss she had laid on him the night before.

 _I'm so confused,_ Ty Lee griped inwardly, playing with a strand of Sun's sunny blond hair. _Just the day before, I learned that my best friend was still alive after ten years of thinking that he was dead, and hoping that he wasn't. And then, after he watched me perform and I invited him to sleep with me, and then I kissed him._

She sighed in dismay and closed her eyes, sinking into the warmth his body provided, vowing to figure it out later.

…

Sun awoke with the sweet smell of Ty Lee in his nose, which wasn't marred at all by the slight salty tang from the sweat built up in her performance last night. He sighed into her soft brown hair, recalling the kiss she had laid on him. _I really need to talk to her._ "Ty," He whispered, shaking her lightly. "Wake up."

Ty Lee shuffled a bit, grumbling. "No...don't wanna...warm."

"There's something important I need to tell you about." Sun insisted, shaking her more.

Groggily, she lifted her head up and blinked slowly. "Wha's it?" She asked, yawning widely.

Taking a deep breath, the blond bender started. "Okay...while I was gone, I ended up getting...engaged to a woman who will eventually take over her...village."

Ty Lee, now fully awake, sat up and stared down at him with wide grey eyes. "You-you're getting married?" She whispered, her voice sounding horrified.

"Yes." He said simply, sitting up. "I wanted to tell you now before anything else happened between us...I didn't want to mislead you or anything, Ty. I'm really sorry."

The acrobat drew her knees up to her face, staring at the pink bedspread. "But...why?" She finally asked, not meeting his eyes.

"Because I can do this." He replied, holding out his hand and bending an orb of water from her wash basin over to them. Sun froze the ball, before yellow flames sprang from his palms and engulfed the ice, evaporating it into a cloud of steam, which he banished from the tent with a stiff breeze.

"You…" Ty Lee murmured in a shocked whisper. "You're the…"

Sun held out his hands placatingly. "I'm not the Avatar, Ty. I can bend multiple elements, but I'm not him. That's part of why I got engaged. Her father realized that, when people find out that I can do this, and possibly my children, they would do everything they can to get their hands on my power. So he engaged us, willingly, to ally myself with them." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"So…" The acrobat started hesitantly. "You'll end up being, like a Lord or something?"

Sun nodded. "Basically, yes."

She bit her thumb in thought, her forefinger poking the tip of her nose. "That means you could end up with wives from all over the Nations." Ty Lee realized, sitting up straight.

The blond blanched. "Er, well, yes, I guess. Actually, the princess I'm engaged to, she's been pushing me to find other women from other Nations to take places with her, so that I don't end up surrounded by a bunch of girls who would willingly kill the others to get my 'favor' and possibly my children." He shuddered, more than a little disturbed. "It's really weird to think about, much less talk."

Silence descended on the tent, both of the inhabitants lost in thought. Ty Lee eventually broke the silence. "...That means there's still a chance, though."

Sun looked up from his contemplation, having been thinking of his princess almost ordering him to look for other women and how weird and somewhat hurtful that was. "A chance for what?" He asked cluelessly.

Ty Lee flushed a deep pink, uncharacteristically quiet while poking her fingers together. "A chance for us." She murmured, her grey eyes sparkling as she glanced up at him.

The blond's eyebrows went up in shock. "...Us?" He repeated in a dull monotone.

"Well," The acrobat pushed her hands together nervously. "I've had a crush on you since we were kids, Naruto! I know that A-I mean, we used to play being married, remember? I couldn't help but imagine that happening when we were older, or fantasizing a little."

Sun shook his head ruefully, smiling despite himself. "I remember that...I had a crush on you too, Ty. I was so nervous whenever we played being married because I did the same thing. Though, those angry looks Azula and Mai would shoot at us was weird. I wonder why they would get angry?"

Ty Lee giggled to herself at the confused look on his face. _He go by a different name and he may be older and more mature, but he's still Naruto._

"Anyway, you would have to ask the princess, Ty." He finished with a sigh. "And to do that, you would have to come to the North Pole with us."

"The North Pole?" She voiced her confusion.

Sun nodded. "The Avatar, Aang, needs to learn how to Waterbend. The only people who could teach him are in the North Pole. You would have to leave the circus behind, Ty. And you're happy here...I couldn't take you away from that."

Ty Lee looked down at her knees. "I...I need to think about this. And clean myself up." She added, sniffing herself and grimacing theatrically.

"It's a lot to take in, I know." Sun said sympathetically. "I'll go get us some breakfast."

"I'll be in the big tent!" She called after him as he donned his armor and left.

Striding through the camp, Sun was treated to the sight of the various performers the morning after a show, most of them a mixture of tired and hungover. It was funny to see the active people from last night turned into the shuffling, moaning half-living bodies crying out for food and silence. After retrieving two bowls of rice porridge from the dining area, Sun was treated to the sight of the circus' owner, an older man with grey hair, talking to a Fire Nation soldier.

Instantly, he ducked behind a nearby tent, their conversation drifting into his ears.

"-While it is always a pleasure to host a member of the armed forces, I must ask what you are looking for." The owner, Huan, said.

The other man's voice was flat but very fast, as if he was thinking three words ahead when talking. "I have heard rumors of a very talented acrobat who performs here at this circus and I have reasons to believe that she could help in the war effort and I need to see her immediately."

 _Ty Lee._ Was the first thought that popped into Sun's head as he peeked around the tent, to look upon the fire Nation soldier. And he found that he was no ordinary soldier. No, the curled golden dragon and the Fire Nation symbol that shone in the early morning light denoted that, not only was that 'soldier' not a soldier, he was a general. There was gold trim to his armor, and his dark brown hair was held in a top-knot by a golden piece that denoted his rank.

"Ty Lee?" Huan asked in disbelief. "She's a magnificent acrobat, yes, but I don't see how a single girl could possibly help the war."

"That is for the Fire Lord and I to know." The general replied flatly.

Huan crossed his arms, frowning heavily. "I need more than that, General Ran."

Sun felt his blood run cold. "Oh, Spirits." He whispered, dropping the bowls of food to the ground and sprinting to the big tent. Pushing through the limp curtains that served as the opening, he came upon the sight of Ty Lee standing on her hands, which held a pair of chopsticks each that she was balancing on with a look of concentration. Briefly nonplussed, Sun shook it off. "Ty Lee! We need to leave, right now!"

The acrobat wavered on her chopsticks and fell gracefully, rolling to her feet. "Naruto, I was trying to think! What-" Then she noticed the panicked look on his face. "What is it?"

"Someone from the Fire Nation is here, looking for you!" He replied, checking to make sure no one was approaching.

"Ooh, is it Azula or Mai? That would be so nice of them!" She cheered happily, before looking confused. "But why should we leave?"

Sun gave her the most grave look he could muster. "It's not Azula or Mai, Ty, it's a General from the Army, he's here to take you." Before she could ask why, he continued. "Have you ever wondered why you can jump as far and as high as you do, Ty Lee? It's not something just anyone can learn through training, it's an inborn talent for manipulating air currents. You're an Airbender."

Ty Lee gaped, her eyes wide. "That's not possible." She whispered, looking down at her hands. "That is not possible."

"It's more than possible, Ty, it's reality, and a Fire Nation General knows. He knows because he's an Airbender himself." Sun stepped forward and took her arm gently, but firmly. "We need to go. I swear, I'll tell you everything you want to know, but we have to go, _now._ "

At that moment, General Ran entered the big tent, stopping as he saw the white-robed blond standing next to Ty Lee. "The criminal is here as I suspected." He muttered to himself, though loudly enough that they heard. "So you have come to the realization that the acrobat is an Airbender yourself criminal. However I will not allow you to leave with her in your possession." And then he disappeared in a blur of motion.

Sun knelt and snatched the chopsticks from the ground and hurled them behind himself as he jumped and rolled forward. Ran blurred back into view as the wooden sticks punched into the pillar of wood supporting the canvas around him, apparently missing him entirely. He attempted to to move again, but was pulled back as the chopsticks had stabbed through the bottom of his sleeves and the metal just above his shoulders, pinning him in place.

The blond picked Ty Lee up on his shoulder and dashed from the tent, heading towards the acrobats' place. Arriving, he set her down. "Ty Lee, grab whatever you need and quickly, he won't be held back for long."

Still in shock, the pink-loving girl quickly moved about her tent, grabbing what she valued most and stuffed it into a canvas bag, including a bag of coins that must have been the payments for her performances. After she was done, Ty Lee picked up the painting and slipped it down the front of her shirt. "Alright, I'm ready." She said, her voice quavering.

He picked her up again and ran for the nearby forest, carrying her bag under his arm. A sharp whistle was his only warning as a blade of air zipped past his head, slicing a tree in front of them in half. "Drop the Airbender criminal." General Ran somehow managed to shout with his flat tone.

"No!" Sun shouted, bending a ball of flame at the General. "She's coming with me!" The best idea would be to play as if he was kidnapping Ty Lee; that way she wouldn't become a criminal.

Ran blurred away, easily dodging the blast and dashed forward, drawing a pair of empty sword hilts from his waist. Blades of wind formed from the hilts, hissing angrily. "Then die." He replied easily.

His wind blades sparked as they met the golden metal of Sun's staff as the blond deflected them up and pointed the shortened staff at Ran's chest, extending it to its' full length, directly at the General's chest. Taken by surprise, the Airbender slid back, gasping in pain as the armor over his chest was heavily dented.

Sun, taking advantage of the moment, bent fire along the length of his staff and whirled it over his head, shaping the sunny yellow fire around him and Ty Lee into an oscillating orb that hid them from sight. While the fire spun around them, he pulled the cloud pouch from his neck and opened it. "Get on." He said tersely, his concentration on keeping the fire around them.

Ty Lee flopped down on top of the golden cumulus with bag under her stomach. Seeing that, Sun quickly shrunk and stored his staff before blowing a gust of wet air out his mouth at the fire, extinguishing the flames but leaving behind a thick smoke cover. He dived on top of the cloud and held on as it sped off into the forest.

Ran, having discarded the bent metal constricting his breathing, blew the smoke away, revealing only a circle of burnt grass, but no Airbender or criminal. "This...is troubling." He muttered, frowning and storing his weapons away.

…

"Wheeeee!"

 _Say what you will about Ty Lee, but she doesn't get held down for long._ Sun thought in amusement as the acrobat cheered, the wind in her face pulling her brown hair behind her like a streamer.

After escaping from General Ran, they were now heading to Omashu to join up with the others, who should've been done with their community service shortly. Gathering herself, Ty Lee shifted on the cloud and sat close to the blond, holding onto his arm. "Naruto," She called, drawing his attention. "Who was that man? And why did he scare you?"

Sun sighed. "That was General Ran of the Fire Nation Army. He's one of the most dangerous men in the world, and he was trying to take you. Once he realized that I was protecting you, he would've started targeting you, if not to get me off guard, then to make sure you couldn't leave alive."

"I can take care of myself, you know." She frowned at the implication that she would be a liability in combat. "I created my own fighting style that works really well against Benders!"

"I wasn't trying to say that you can't protect yourself, Ty," He said apologetically, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "But you saw how fast he moved. We had to run. Plus, he's a General, he was bound to have an entourage of Benders with him, or even his twin."

Sun shuddered, making the acrobat concerned. "What's so scary about them?" Ty Lee asked.

"I'll wait until we meet up with the others," He shook his head, steering the cloud down into a copse of trees near Omashu's road. "It's a long story, and they need to know. Here, take my robe, and we can get you some clothes that don't stand out as much."

Ty Lee frowned unhappily, but draped herself in the white cloth, which ended looking very cute, like a little girl wearing her much-older-mother's bathrobe. "What's wrong with my clothes? I like pink!"

"Nothing's wrong with pink," Sun was quick to reply, "But your clothes are very Fire Nation, and the rest of world aren't their biggest fans. You can keep the pink, but we need to replace the dark red."

The acrobat looked down, tugging at the dark red piece on her shoulders. "But nothing else really goes with pink," She groused, before sticking her tongue out in disgust. "Eugh, imagine wearing green with pink, that would be soo ugly!"

Sun chuckled, holding out his arm. "Well, white seems to go with the color just fine." He pointed out.

Ty Lee held open his robe with one hand, checking the colors with one another. "Hey, you're right! Maybe I can get some black to go with both of them, that would be cute!" She took his arm, her bag slung over her shoulder. "So, Naruto, you never told me why you're traveling with the Avatar. What's up with that?"

The blond gave a long-suffering sigh. "It's a long story," He said as they began to head down the road towards Omashu. "Okay, so after I managed to escape Ozai, with a little help from Uncle, I fell into a portal that led to the Spirit World, where I met a bunch of spirits, including one who would become my master, a mischievous bastard monkey…"

…

"...He wouldn't stop laughing! I mean, yeah, looking back on it, it was funny, but I was picking gravel out of my teeth for weeks!"

…

"…I missed and hit the pillar behind him, cleanly breaking it, and then the building started falling down on top of us. We stopped fighting and ran for the exit, and we made it out safely. We were surrounded by the local police force, and we both got arrested. And that's how I became friends with him."

...

"...And it's tongue hit me, and I suddenly couldn't move…"

…

"...Then I threw glitter in his face and punched him, and I said, 'It matches your sparkling personality!"

…

"And then I traveled to meet you on my cloud, and, well, you know the rest." Sun finished about an hour later. The two had entered Omashu and were making their way up the palace to see Bumi.

Ty Lee, her face red from constant laughter, leaned heavily on his shoulder as the guards made way for them. "Wow, Naruto. You could walk down the street for some fire flakes and end up meeting a dragon, with the way your luck seems to go."

"Tell me about it," Sun replied, rolling his eyes. "But, at the very least, I get to meet new and interesting people. You're about to meet four of them, actually."

Her face falling, the acrobat squeezed his arm and looked down in worry. "Do you think they'll like me?" She asked, nervously playing with her long braid.

"They'll be suspicious of you, at least at first," He answered truthfully. "But I know that, after a while, they'll start to trust and like you, like I do." Sun glanced away in thought. "Well, maybe not like _I_ do, but they'll like you. It's hard not to enjoy your company, Ty."

She hugged his arm closer to her and stood on the tip of her toes, lightly kissing his whiskered cheek. "Thanks, Naruto. I enjoy your company, too." They shared a light blush, before entering the arena where the guards had directed them.

They found Aang fighting, i.e. running, from King Bumi, who was insanely muscled and spry for an old geezer, while Katara and Sokka watched from a balcony, both covered in quick-growing jade and sapphire crystals, respectively.

"Woah," Ty Lee whispered. "That old guy is _buff._ "

"Yeah," Sun agreed dryly, watching Bumi stomp the ground and create a fissure that Aang nearly tumbled into. "He used to kick my ass all up and down this arena like a pebble when I was learning how to Earthbend." _I don't see how this is community service, though._

Taking glance at the crystal-encased Water Siblings, the blond noticed the portions of the colorful rock glowing, before growing even more. _I can see how that is community service, in a roundabout way. Are they growing Jennamite for a candy shop they destroyed? Bumi did say something about property damage._ Shrugging, he reached over and snapped a pair of crystals off of Sokka and stuck one in his mouth, offering the other to Ty Lee. "Jennamite?"

She took the crystal with a confused look. "Um, Naruto?" He hummed around the candy in his mouth. "This is a rock. A pretty rock, but still a rock."

"Oh," Sun took his piece out of his mouth to speak clearly. "It's Jennamite, also called 'creeping crystal'. It's naturally growing rock candy."

Ty Lee blinked in surprise, looking down at the crystal as it grew slightly in reaction to her body heat. "Huh. The Earth Kingdom is weird." Shrugging, she stuck it in her mouth and smiled. "But sweet!"

Sun nodded in agreement. "I don't really like sweets, but I like Jennamite. I think I picked up the habit from Gramps. It helps that it also has healthy minerals in it that help when recovering from fighting."

Ty Lee made in interested sort of gurgle around the candy in her mouth, and they settled down to watch the fight.

It came to a head when Bumi used his powerful Earthbending to rip the balcony on the opposite end of the arena from the wall and hurl it Aang. The young Avatar, in a brilliant display of redirection, used his Airbending-enhanced speed to create a dusty tornado in the middle of the arena, managing to catch and return the balcony.

Bumi, seeing his attack coming back, grunted and neatly cut the chunk of stone in half with a single swipe of his hand. Aang took a flying leap and landed before the king, his staff pointed at his opponent's chin.

Despite being pinned, the Mad King still smiled. A pebble bounced off of Aang's bald head, making him look up at the half of a balcony hovering above them, ready to drop and crush them both.

Instead of dropping it, Bumi chuckled and snorted, negligently tossing the stone aside. "Well done, young Avatar." He congratulated, his usual crooked smile on his wrinkled face. "You fight with much fire in your heart."

He then fell backward on the floor, disappearing through the solid ground and leaving a hole shaped like himself. Aang jumped in surprise and looked to the balcony, where the King appeared out of the ground next to his friends. The young Airbender spun his staff over his head and jumped, hovering over to join them. Sun snapped off another piece of Jennamite from Katara's formation and stuck it in his mouth.

"You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question for me." Bumi spoke up, drawing his robes around him and looking once more like a crazy, elderly, frail mad king.

"What?" Aang shouted in disbelief. "That's not fair! You said you would free my friends if I passed all of your tests, and I did! Release them!"

The King shrugged carelessly. "What's the point of any test if you don't learn something, eh?"

"That is so like you, Gramps." Sun groused, crossing his arms. "You always have to make everything more difficult."

Sokka and Katara, their vision constrained by the Jennamite growing around their faces, had to shuffle in a circle. "Sun!" Their happy and relieved shouts were joined by Aang's voice. "You came back!" Katara said in relief.

Sun arched an eyebrow at them, looking a little offended. "Of course I did, I wasn't going to leave you here...not until you finished your community service, anyway." He turned to his old master with a question on his face. "By the way, how is having Aang fight you 'community service', Gramps?"

Bumi smiled widely. "Well, I am the King, I lead the community, so anything they do for me is technically 'community service!" He giggled at the deadpan look on his old student's face. "Now, young Avatar, here is your question. What...is my name?"

Aang's face went blank in surprise. "...What?"

"From the looks of your friends, you only have a few minutes before that crystal covers them entirely." The mad king noted, and as he made to leave, he turned back. "And you can't ask my old student, either."

They were escorted to the King's throne room by a pair of guards. "Sun, you know that crazy old man?" Sokka asked as the crystal began to cover most of his head.

"He was my Earthbending teacher," The blond bender replied, answering the curious looks he was given by the gang. "Which, like all of my training, was incredibly difficult and more than a little bit crazy, but very worth it."

"I'm glad I'm not an Earthbender," Ty Lee commented, skipping alongside Sun.

Katara frowned minutely at the unknown girl walking so closely to her friend. "Who's the girl, Sun?" She asked carefully.

"There's a girl?" Sokka asked, the Jennamite having grown over his eyes.

"I'm Ty Lee!" The acrobat introduced with a wide smile, a look that both Aang and Katara found familiar somehow. "Nice to meet you."

Her eyes fell on Aang, and she unsubtly stepped around Sun so that the blond standing between them, taking his arm in hers. The young Airbender looked confused at the cautious looks she was shooting him, before shaking his head. "C'mon guys, I need some help with the King's name...but I can't think of anything!"

"What about 'Rocky?'" Sokka presented. "Y'know, because of the rocks?"

A short silence fell, before his sister broke it. "We're gonna keep trying, but that's a good backup." Sun couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

"Rocky isn't all that common of name in the Earth Kingdom, actually." He remarked casually. "There are a lot of 'Lee's, though."

"There's two possibilities," Katara said encouragingly to Aang. "Keep thinking. Maybe the challenges are some kind of clue? What did you have to do?"

The Avatar looked up at the ceiling in thought, tapping his chin. "Well, none of the test had any direct solutions, and everything was different than what I expected. I had to think differently than I usually would…" He trailed off, a look realization dawning on his face. "I know his name!"

At that moment, the group was led into the throne room, where the Mad King waited for them at the foot of the throne.

Aang stepped forward with a serious visage. "I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I needed to open my brain to the possibilities."

Bumi smiled widely and gave off his snorting laugh. Aang grinned and darted forward, wrapping the king in a tight hug. "Bumi, you're a mad genius!"

The king hugged his old friend back, patting his bald head. "It's good to see you, Aang. You haven't changed a bit. Literally." He stepped back and shared a warm smile with his friend.

"You know, this is all very touching," Sokka voiced sarcastically, everything bu his mouth covered in sapphire crystal. "But we're our situation is very rocky right now."

Bumi chuckled and pulled his fist back, making the crystal explode off of the Water Tribals. Easily catching a piece of it, he took a big bite out of it. "Jennamite is made out of rock candy," He revealed with a happy smile. "Delicious!"

"It is pretty tasty," Ty Lee interjected, a shard in her mouth.

Sun, after gathering a few pieces to store and grow later, and a few more to eat, joined the gang as Bumi explained the future to Aang. "You have much to learn, Aang, and a difficult task ahead of you. Only the Avatar can bring balance back to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You must master the elements, and when you confront him, I hope you think like a mad genius!" Bumi chuckled crazily, before bowing respectfully to his old friend.

Momo flew into the room and landed on Aang's head, chattering excitedly. "And you'll need Momo, too." The mad king added, before turning to Sun. "Now, my young student, who is the lovely young lady you have brought with you?"

Ty Lee stepped forward and bowed politely. "My name is Ty Lee, your majesty." Her voice quavered with nerves as an Airbender, an Earthbender and two Water Tribals looked at her curiously. "I'm one of Naruto's childhood friends."

Sokka thought over her words. "Childhood friend?" He whispered to himself, before his eyes went wide with realization. "She's Fire Nation!" He shouted, drawing his boomerang.

Aang and Katara both got into Bending stances, and Bumi...didn't. He picked up a piece of Jennamite and flicked it at the Water Tribe Warrior, knocking the metal angle from his hands. And with a stomp and clap, the Airbender was sunk into the ground up to his shins, while small boots of rock formed over the Waterbender's feet, and pieces of crystal pushed her hands together and locked her elbows in place.

Having dissolved the standoff, the mad king leaned on Aang's head casually. "Go on."

At Sokka's shout, Ty Lee had hid behind Sun, who stepped protectively in front of her and was giving his friends a stern glare. "What's wrong with you, Sun?" Sokka shouted again. "Why did you bring the Fire Nation here?! She could stab you in the back at any minute!"

The blond cracked his knuckles, sounding similar to the rolling of thunder. "Does the term 'childhood friend' make no sense to you, Sokka?" He asked rhetorically. "I've been using it all chapter. I wouldn't have brought her if I didn't I know I can trust her, and I do, with my life. So calm down before you do something you regret."

As Katara and Aang added their opinions in, Bumi stepped up and clapped his hands loudly. "All of you, quiet down!" He ordered sternly, his face serious. "Perhaps you should explain your story from the beginning, Sun."

Sun nodded in agreement. "Alright, yesterday-"

"Wait!" The Mad King suddenly shouted, making them jump in surprise. "If it's story time, I'm going to need a snack!" He clapped his hands twice, drawing a guard from outside. "You, fetch me a bowl of popcorn!"

A few minutes later, Bumi leaned on Aang's head again, but this time with a bowl of freshly popped kernels cradled in his arms. "Okay, storytime!"

"Okay?" The blond started, shaking his head. "Okay, yesterday I got a letter from Ty Lee, which is why I left you guys here. I noticed that the circus she was performing at was nearby, so I went to visit her. Long story short, we reunited, I decided to stay for her show, and I ended sleeping over after checking in on you guys. This morning, I went to get us some breakfast, and I overheard a conversation between the owner of the circus and General of the Fire Nation."

"Oooh," Bumi ooh'd appreciatively around a mouthful of popcorn, before offering the bowl to Aang. "Popcorn?"

"I'd like to get out of the floor, actually." The young Airbender replied with a glare at his old friend.

The mad king arched an eyebrow. "Is that 'no' on the popcorn, then?"

Aang sighed and took a handful of the snack, Momo snagging an armful for himself.

"Beside the obvious, what's so bad about a Fire Nation general?" Katara asked in confusion, lowering her candy-encased hands.

"I'll get to that later," Sun replied, "But he wanted to find Ty Lee because he thought she could be an asset in the war effort."

Sokka traded confuse glances with his sister and Aang. "Uh, why, exactly?" He asked.

"Because he figured out that she's an Airbender." The flat comment was greeted by complete silence...except for the crunch of popcorn. "And the General, General Ran, he knew because he's also an Airbender."

Aang's jaw dropped even further, shock evident on his paling face. "WHAT?!" He screamed in surprise, echoing through the palace and possibly Omashu and the rest of the world.

"Nice dramatic timing!" Bumi complimented with a crazy grin and thumbs-up. Noting the pure shock on his old friend's face, he gave Sun a questioning look. "You haven't told him yet?"

Aang snapped out of his stupor, glancing between Master and Student. "Told me what?" He asked in tremulous voice.

Sun sighed heavily, running a hand through his blond hair. "I had hoped to avoid it entirely, actually," He admitted. Bumi gave him a disappointed look. "I knew I would have to eventually, but can you blame me for not wanting to? It's not easy to hear."

"What's not easy to hear?" Aang questioned, his tone making it obvious that he didn't want to hear it at all.

"Remember when we went to the Southern Air Temple? How I told you that some Airbenders betrayed the others by leading the Fire Nation into their temples?" The young Airbender nodded shakily, his face pale. "Well, what did you think happened to them? After they collaborated, they were spared and rewarded for helping. They were either set up as important political figures or merchants, like Lords or Governors, or...they joined the Armed Forces and contributed to the war."

The throne room was filled with an atmosphere of horror. Ty Lee was leaning heavily on Sun's back, her hands covering her mouth, silent tears running down her cheeks. Katara and Sokka shared a look of shock and dismay, and even Bumi was solemnly silent. That didn't compare to Aang, who looked as if his world-view had been shattered to pieces with the bleached skull of a loved one.

Sun inhaled bracingly, licking his dry lips. "Over a hundred years, they had children, and their children had children, who either never knew of their heritage, like Ty Lee, or they did and joined the war, like Ran and his twin brother, Run, who are part of a group of elite soldiers known as 'The Ember Generals'. The number varies a bit, but I know of five, and I know the names of three. Ran and Run, Twin Airbenders, and General Sing, a Firebender."

"That's not possible…" Aang whispered brokenly, clasping his hands to his head, his eyes fixed on the floor. "This can't be real…"

"Unfortunately, it is very real, Aang." Bumi interjected with a sad visage.

"Why didn't you tell me, Sun?" The Avatar asked shakily.

"I knew how you would take it, Aang." Sun replied regretfully. "I was in shock when I discovered it myself...I can only imagine how you feel."

"You…" Aang whispered, "Why? Why didn't you **TELL ME?!"** The room darkened as his eyes and arrows began to shine an ethereal blue. The ground shattered around his feet, an orb of violently spinning wind swirling around him as he floated into the air, his fist clenched and a snarl on his face.

"Aang!" Bumi shouted in worry, covering his face from the violent air whipping through the room. "Stop!"

Sun, his orange scarf blowing in the wind, stepped forward as everyone else stepped back, the gold in his armor and his hair beginning to glow with warm yellow light. His eyes met Aang's just as the blue was overtaken by yellow. His face became a stern, stone visage, his hand held out towards the Avatar.

" **Stop."** He ordered in a layered, uneven tone. The palm of his hand shone as a sun etched itself into his flesh, glowing. The shine fought against the blue of Aang's Avatar State, piercing through the orb around him and meeting his forehead.

" **Calm yourself before you do something you regret, Avatar."** Not-Sun spoke as the Avatar State faded, slowly dropping Aang to the ground.

The glow faded from Sun, who blinked and stepped forward, wrapping the young Airbender in a comforting embrace. "I know I should've told you, Aang," He murmured sadly, "I didn't want to cause you any more pain...but I guess it was inevitable."

Aang didn't reply, only burying his face in Sun's shoulder and beginning to sob, tightly hugging the blond bender. Bumi joined in, quickly followed by Katara and Sokka.

Ty Lee stood apart from the group hug, feeling like a stranger intruding on something very private. That is, until Sun looked up from the hug and noticed her standing awkwardly. Giving her a soft smile, he held his hand out to her.

The acrobat gulped and shuffled over, slowly taking the hand and being pulled into the warm embrace.

Several minutes of comforting later, the group eventually broke up, wiping their faces. "Think of it this way, Aang," Sun said comfortingly. "You are the last true Airbender...but there are maybe hundreds of Airbenders who don't know their heritage out there, just waiting to bring back the Air Nomads...and there's one right here with us."

He slid his arm around Ty Lee's shoulders, and the acrobat waved nervously. "Hi." She greeted with a shy blush. "I-uh, I'd like to learn how to be Airbender, if that's alright?"

Aang, his eyes red, smiled wetly at her. "I'll teach you, Ty Lee. And Sun. But first...I have challenge for you, Sun, and Bumi!"

Sun glanced at Ty Lee, before looking to the Avatar. "What is it?"

…

Ty Lee screamed in excitement, her arms wrapped around Sun's neck, his hands clamped around the lip of stone bin as he sat behind Aang, who was behind Bumi as they rocketed down one of the long stone chutes that crisscrossed Omashu at breakneck speeds, cheering loudly as the speed blew air in their faces, making them lean back in the bin.

The crash of wood meeting stone rang through Omashu, joined by an anguished wail. " _My cabbages!"_

"Sorry!"

…

…

…

 **A/N: Well, I just like to kick my character's hearts in the ass, don't I? I swear we'll be moving on next chapter, I just had an idea for this chapter that hit me suddenly and I had to write it down.**

 **So, I know I changed things up this chapter, so here are some preemptive questions and answers:**

 **Q: Really? A harem, Saul? What is wrong with you? And also, why did you do it?**

 **A: Yes, really, assface. A harem. There are a lot of things wrong with me, and we'll be here all day if I list them out, so let me just say this: In the olden days, powerful people (Sun in this instance) usually had more than one woman hanging off of them, to get at their political or financial power through marriage, treachery (same thing, jk) or their kids. I figured that in this instance, Sun having the power he does, there will be people in every Nation who will want his power, and they wouldn't be able to get it directly, so their daughters would be one of the ways to get at it. Yue (because it is Yue, jackwagon, who else is a Princess in the North Pole? No one but her.) knows this, so, to preempt any efforts, is having Sun search for other wives to cover themselves, and to have actual loving relationships instead of political ones.**

 **And another reason, but I'm saying what that is, only that it has to do with the staff he wields, and that's not a euphemism.**

 **Q: Why does Ran not have any punctuation in his speech?**

 **A: He talks fast, so to get that speed across, I wrote him without anything beyond periods, except for his last line, when he slows down.**

 **Q: Why did Sun run? Couldn't he have beaten Ran?**

 **A: Okay, second then first. Yes, Sun could have beaten Ran, but as he pointed out, he was protecting Ty Lee, who he viewed as something precious, while the general only saw an asset. And while Sun could've fought and eventually won, he doesn't know what Ran can do, only that he's an Airbender. After running, he knows that Ran can enhance his speed with Airbending, and that he can create Air-swords.**

 **I also wanted to use Air-Swords. Beyond that one time where Aang talks about being able to make them using an empty sword hilt, I've always wondered about them, and I rarely see them in fanfiction. That isn't Naruto.**

 **Q: Ty Lee has come along?**

 **A: Fuck yes, did you not just read the chapter? If so, go and read it, then come back. I can wait. Okay, so I counted the 'votes' in the reviews, and I had seven 'for' and three 'against', and I was going to go with 'no', except that I realized something. Almost everyone who said 'no' all had the same reasoning: It wouldn't be canon. And then I thought, 'But I'm writing fanfiction. I'm already bending canon over the table making sweet love to it.'**

 **So, basically, to misquote and paraphrase at the same time: 'Your insistence only made my decision easier'. And more fun.**

 **And as far as the traitorous Airbenders go, I think having some traitors is more realistic. I don't know about traitors in the canon, because I don't really care, but I knew it would fit. And for those who subtlety is lost on, the reason for everyone being horrified about the Airbenders joining the Fire Nation war effort is because the Airbenders that joined are almost directly responsible for the genocide of the Air Nomads, and even killed some of their fellows. That's why.**

 **And as for the sun on Sun's hand? As Aang's spiritual guide, he has the ability to suppress the Avatar State, but not for too long. If Aang is** _ **really**_ **awash in his emotions, he would be able to hold him back for a bit, but not forever.**

 **Here are my intentions for the characters like Aang and Ty Lee. I want them to end up like Naruto, that is to say, more mature but recognizably the same characters. It's called Character Growth, and it's a good thing, dumbasses who say I'm ruining their characters. It even happens in canon!**

 **And it's my story, I can do whatever I want. I have the keyboard of power, here. But you...** _ **you have no power here!**_ **Hahahaha!**

 **Except for when I ask for your input.**

 **Anyway, I'm done with my freaking monstrous damn Author's Note. Damn. I'll try to keep it smaller next time.**

 **And why not leave a review? And if you liked it, why not tell your friends? And maybe they'll like it too, and they'll review? That would be just plain bitchin' is all I'm saying.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: Some jackass sent me a PM calling my profile picture idiotic, and said that if he and 'many others' (pfffffffft...right) don't read my stories because my pictures are unimpressive. I paraphrased MLK about the judging my stories by the content of their chapters and not the pictures that come before them. And I replied by saying that people who judge my stories by the picture in the front are people I wouldn't want to hear from anyway. Because someone who doesn't read a story because of the picture is so stupidly shallow, instead of reading the summary and the story, you know, the** _ **actual thing**_ **that matters. Besides, going by that logic, the slash stories that have beautiful women in the picture are blatant fucking liars.**

 **Long story short, I don't care.**

 **I also finished this story on Sunday, but no one reads or posts shit on Sundays, so I saved it until Monday.**

 **I'm also on twitter, for those who care. TheRealSoleneus. Follow me for updates and convos if you want.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	8. The Prisoners

Three days away from Omashu, supplies were starting to run a little low. So, while Sokka went foraging for some food to add to their dwindling stores, Aang settled down to teach Sun and Ty Lee some Airbending.

As anyone could have predicted, the Fire Nation-born acrobat was welcomed into the gang, though treated with thinly-veiled suspicion and caution, something that definitely wore down on the cheerful girl.

"Before we start," Ty Lee held up her hands. "You're not going to-going to teach me anything like...how to Airbend the air out of someone's lungs, right? Or-or how to create a storm of wind blades to shred someone's skin off? 'Cause I wouldn't be okay with that...I mean, I'm no stranger to fighting, I invented my own style, but I don't really wanna kill anyone...not unless I really have to, you know."

Her words spilled out like a stream, uninterrupted as the look of shock on Aang's face grew. "What? No!" He suddenly shouted, making the acrobat draw back. "Airbenders don't do that!"

Ty Lee peeked out from behind Naruto's back. "Are...are you sure? Because that all we heard you do…"

Katara frowned at her. "Where did you hear that? And why?" She asked.

"Well, it's like, the kid's tales, you know…" Ty Lee explained, still clinging to Sun's back. "Eat all your vegetables, or the ghost of a dead Airbender will bend your breath out of your lungs while you're sleeping. Or, 'respect your elders, or a dead Airbender will flay you alive with the wind.' Parents tells those stories to their kids all the time. You know, 'the monsters under the bed' kind of thing."

Aang shot to his feet, clutching his staff angrily. "Airbenders aren't monsters!" He yelled, face twisted in anger.

"Yes, because shouting in her face is going to help your case." Sun chipped in sarcastically, feeling his old friend shiver against his back. He liked Aang, but shouting at Sweet Ty Lee was a big no-no. "Calm down, Aang, it's not like she would know if the stories were true or not. Until she met Ran, Ty Lee didn't know any Airbenders still existed."

"But they-! They're _demonizing_ my people!" The last Airbender cried, pointing in the general direction of the Fire Nation. "They're turning us into monsters to scare little kids!"

Sun scowled slightly and clapped his hands, a loud, deep crack echoing from his palms. "Of course they are, Aang." He interjected with clipped tones. "Everyone knew the Air Nomads were peaceful for the most part. Every Fire Nation kid, once they heard the story about the Airbenders, turned to their parents and asked, 'Why?' Of course they wouldn't say, 'We were scared that one of them is the Avatar, who could stop the Fire Lord's plans, and that's why we wiped out a peaceful people.' No, they turned them into monsters, breath-stealing demons to assuage the Nation's hidden guilt. It always happens in war, Aang."

He glanced at a wide-eyed Katara. "Doesn't your tribe do the same, Katara? Tell horror stories about the Fire Nation, how if they aren't good little boys and girls, Ozai will visit them in the night and burn them alive?" He probed, already knowing the answer.

The Tribal nodded shakily, recalling the time she accidentally snapped the shaft of her father's favorite spear while playing around with it. He had told her that if she wasn't careful with weaponry, the Fire Nation might attack in the middle of the night and without his weapon, they would kill them all. It had haunted her nightmares for weeks, and even further after the incursion that took her mother away.

Of course, after _that_ , no one told those stories again. The wound was too fresh.

The blond bender ran a hand through his sunny hair, shaking his head. "Aang, if you get angry at everything the Fire Nation has done to your people, you're going to be angry all the time." He stared into his eyes seriously. "You're going to have to learn to deal with stuff like this. If we defeat Ozai, we'll still need to bring balance back to the world. There's a whole Nation who probably think like this."

Aang slumped to the ground, cradling his bald head in his hands. "The more I learn about the world, the more impossible it seems," He groaned into his arms.

Sun sighed, reaching out to pat the Airbender's shoulder. "I'm not trying to discourage you, Aang, I'm just telling you the truth. Again, think of it as a way to show so many people wrong, show them what Airbending is really meant for." He pointed at himself and his friend. "Like you should be doing for us."

Taking a bracing breath, Aang sat up and nodded. "Right. Alright." He exhaled heavily and clapped his hands together. "So, Airbending is the art of bending the air around us, to protect ourselves and others from harm, but never to kill. The first step to learning how to Airbend is meditation, like so."

He sat on the ground, crossing his legs so that his ankles rested on the opposite knee and folded his hands together. Neither Sun nor Ty Lee had much trouble copying his position. "Now, close your eyes, and feel the wind flow around you." The young Airbender instructed, making sure his students did so before allowing his eyelids to slide shut. "Feel how the breeze plays over your skin, gently pulling at your hair. Feel the emotion of the air itself, how happy, directionless and free it is. Then let the air flow _through_ you, let it ride through your body, and let its' feelings become your own."

Katara watched in what was approaching awe as Aang's voice, though young and somewhat high-pitched, seemed to lull Naruto and Ty Lee into meditative trances. They seemed to be lighter than before, as if they would begin to float away at any second.

"As you feel what the air feels, realize something: you aren't understanding the wind, you _are_ the wind. You are free. You are directionless. You are the air itself." As he said those words, a visible current of wind formed around the Avatar, picking up the dust and fallen leaves and spinning them around his still form like a localized tornado.

And he wasn't the only one. Air spun around Naruto, gently ruffling his hair and his scarf, grasping at his cape and lifting it up, and one could almost see clouds form around him. Soft currents surrounded Ty Lee, playfully tugging at her braid and tickling her skin, drawing a small, happy smile from the girl.

Before the Waterbender's gaze, the air swirled around the three forcefully, lifting them into the air to hover about two inches from the ground.

Eventually, the wind dispersed, gently setting them back on the ground. Ty Lee was the first to speak, her voice low with an amazed sort of excitement. "That was…amazing!" She gushed breathlessly. "I feel like something's been missing from my life…and I just found it for the first time…"

"Yeah," Sun agreed, his blue eyes wide. "I read about it in the scrolls I could find, but it's definitely something else to actually experience."

While they spoke, Aang had a wide grin that threatened to split his face in half. "That's not even the best part." He said with a quiet exuberance, holding his hand out. "This the first exercise. Hold your hand out and concentrate on the air. Don't try to control it, just gently guide it where you want it to go."

He demonstrated his words by coaxing the air around his hand to swirl together into a sphere that spun in his palm. "Guide it into your hand and direct it into a spin." Aang instructed gently.

Sun had done so before, but was surprised by how easy and effortless it was to guide the air. Ty Lee squealed happily as an orb of wind burst to life in her hand, merrily spinning an inch over her skin. "Wow!" She exclaimed, carefully bouncing to orb between her hands. "It's so easy…"

The young Avatar directed his ball to roll around his hands, up over his arms and shoulders, before letting it dissipate. "And that's only the first exercise!" He said happily. "Soon, you could even do things like this!"

He hopped into the air and threw his arms down, creating a large, furiously spinning ball of air that he balanced on with one foot, zooming around the small clearing that was their camp, whooping with joy.

Sokka chose that moment to come back, carrying a pitifully empty-looking sack. "What's he so happy about?" He asked, directing a questioning eyebrow at his sister.

Katara shrugged, a small smile on her face. "He's just showing off for his new Airbender friends. I think he's really happy he gets to teach about his way to new people." She answered watching Aang shoot around the camp.

"Huh." Her brother replied, not all that interested. "Well, I've come back from my foraging. I brought all that I could find." Sokka upended the sack, spilling a few items on the ground. "We've got some berries that might be poisonous, some round nuts and some oval nuts, and some rock-shaped nuts that might just be rocks."

Momo dived on the small pile, grabbing one of the 'rock-shaped nuts' and banged it against a larger rock that was stuck in the ground, making a loud crash. The flying lemur looked between the 'nut' and the rock, before hitting the latter again, getting another loud crash.

The group perked up. "What was that?" Sokka asked, looking around warily.

Naruto looked up from the orb of air, letting it vanish. "That sounds like someone Earthbending." He muttered to himself, walking off into the forest to investigate. The rest of the team followed behind him, just as curious. They quickly walked through the forest, coming to a dried-riverbed where they found a young man in his teens, going through the beginner stances of Earthbending.

The Earthbender was making a large rock hover in place before him, straining from the effort. Peeking over a fallen trunk, Katara was the first to speak up. "An actual Earthbender!" She said in wonder.

"Let's go meet him!" Aang yelled excitedly, already climbing over the trunk.

Being more cautious than them, Sokka shook his head. "We don't know who that guy is, he could be dangerous!" He reasoned, only to be ignored by his sister as she ran down the riverbed to meet the Earthbender.

"Hello there, I'm Katara!" She greeted him cheerfully with a small wave. "What's your name?"

The Earthbender turned to them with a wide-eyed, 'caught with your pants down' look. He dropped the rock and backed away, before turning and sprinting away, quickly bending part of the dried riverbank behind him to block them.

"Well, I guess he thought you were the dangerous one, Katara." Sokka called teasingly.

She drew up in a huff, turning her face away from her brother. "I just wanted to say 'hi'!" She replied indignantly, crossing her arms.

Ty Lee tilted her head curiously at the pile of earth in dry riverbed. "Why'd he run away?" She asked Sun.

The blond bender shrugged. "I'm guessing we're in or nearby one of the Fire Nation-controlled Earth Kingdom village. They tend to separate the benders from the non-benders, so they can control them easier." He replied, watching as Aang and Katara cheered about not having to eat nuts and berries for dinner, then running off to follow the retreating Earthbender.

The excitable acrobat frowned. "Really? How do they do that?" Her tone suggested she didn't want to know.

"Usually by separating them from their element." Sun answered. "Firebenders end up in metal boxes, Earthbenders are put somewhere with no earth, like a big boat or a platform of some sort. And Waterbenders get their hands locked in molding clay."

"Oh…" Ty Lee mumbled, looking up when she realized that they were alone in the forest. "Did they really leave us here?"

Sun sighed and shook his head. "Apparently." They shrugged at one another and began to follow the rest of the group, Ty Lee slipping her arm through Sun's and leaning on her childhood friend. "Since we are going into town, we're going to need disguises."

The acrobat among them fist pumped with her free hand. "Yes! I love disguises!" She cheered happily. "Oh, what can I be? Maybe we can knock out a soldier and steal his armor, then I can pretend to tie you up and lead you into the village as a fake prisoner!"

Sun's eyebrow climbed up his head.

"Or, or, we can fashion a really long coat from these tree branches and plants and I can sit on your shoulders, and we can pretend to be a really, really tall person!" Ty Lee gushed girlishly. "Or wait, we could find some black clothes and wear those to cover our entire bodies, because no one would be able to see us, then! Or I could disguise myself as one of those lady warriors you told me about!"

Both of Sun's eyebrows were nearly meeting his hairline, as he stopped to give his friend an extremely blank look. "...What?" He asked quietly.

Ty Lee tilted her head to look at him, her wide grey eyes blinking innocently up at him. "What do you think?"

Sun shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Okay, in order: They would only be unconscious for a bit, and we're just going to find the others. And the armor wouldn't fit, either. Second, a giant person covered in a coat of leafy branches would definitely be more suspicious than just us as we are now. Same with the black clothes, as it is the middle of the day. Lastly, the Kyoshi Warriors aren't all that well known, but they'd stand out. Also, we don't have the materials."

"Awww…" The excitable acrobat groaned, pouting in dismay.

Chuckling, the blond bender withdrew his arm from hers and stopped, bending down to pick a handful of bright red berries hanging from a branch, surrounded by green, sharp leaves. "I was thinking something a little less drastic." He said, bending a stream of water from the bare trickle in the former riverbed into an orb in his hand.

"Are you going to eat those?" Ty Lee asked cautiously, shooting the vibrant fruits an odd look.

"That would be a bad idea," Sun replied with a small smile. "These berries are poisonous, but they make a pretty good dye." He crushed the berries in his hand dropped them into the spinning orb of water, the liquid darkening to a deep red. After grabbing and crushing a few more, he pulled his cape off and hung it on a branch.

Ty Lee watched with her head tilted curiously as Naruto bent the mix over his cloak, changing the off-white color to a light red, which he dried with a quick blast of Airbending, Pulling it down, the blond swung it over Ty Lee's shoulders, draping the cape about her like a cloak. The acrobat was a lot less broad in the shoulder than Sun, so the fabric hung around her like a curtain. "There." Sun said in satisfaction. "Now you look like any other traveler."

And she did, for the most part. No one would give her any second looks. Ty Lee spun, making the cape swish around her. "This is really comfortable." She noted, rubbing the fabric between her fingers. "It's really soft!"

Sun smiled at her excited face, pulling on the long shirt and pants he wore in the South Pole. He pulled his scarf off and folded it, before pulling it over his hair and tying it back, hiding his blond locks from view. "Now I just need to hide my whiskers and we'll be good." He muttered to himself.

"Oh!" Ty Lee spoke up, hopping in place. "I've got just the thing!" She felt about herself under the cloak, finally pulling something from her pocket with a triumphant, 'Aha!'

"Is that…makeup?" Naruto asked with some trepidation, looking over the case that was made from a medium-sized clam with a light pink shell, held shut with a small silver clasp. "That was one of the things you grabbed when we ran away?"

"Yup!" She replied cheerfully, waving the small kit about. "You never know when you'll need to touch up! Now come here and let me see your face."

Taking a bracing breath, Sun stepped up to Ty Lee and leaned down as she pulled a small brush from the case and cracked it open, dabbing at some of the powder within. He gulped quietly as their faces were inches away, and he couldn't decided what was more eye-catching; Ty Lee's happily glittering grey eyes, her round cheeks or her full lips, which she would occasionally bite the lower one in thought. He decided that her whole face was the most eye-catching, especially with the way her cheeks were going pink, and the way her eyes stared into his.

She really had grown from a cute little girl into a beautiful woman.

He started upon realizing that Ty Lee was staring directly at him, blushing under his gaze, and he couldn't help but do the same. "Well," He coughed awkwardly. "We should…catch up with the others…"

"Yeah…" She mumbled, quietly closing the small kit and storing it away. "We should…definitely do that…"

Sun cleared his throat. "Ahem. So-"

He was interrupted by Ty Lee jumping on him, locking her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, seizing the back of his head and pulling him forward, mashing her lips against his in a passionate kiss.

Sun responded by wrapping his arms around her, both in surprise and to support her as she pressed against him, slipping her tongue through his lips to tangle with his.

After a few seconds, Ty Lee pulled away a little bit, smiling and rubbing her nose against his. "...Okay…" Sun whispered, his eyes wide in shock. "Ty…"

She drew back and stared seriously into his eyes. "I thought you were dead for ten years. I'm not going to hold myself back from showing you how much I love you, whatever you think your fiance will say." She stated firmly. "I feel even more free than I did when I ran away and joined the circus, and it's because of you."

Sighing, Naruto leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "I know what you mean, Ty. I just don't want you to get hurt later on." He muttered, hugging her to him.

She giggled quietly, rubbing her cheek against his. "You won't hurt me, will you?"

"I'll do my best not to." He promised. The future was always in motion after all.

"Then it's not a problem." Ty Lee replied, ending the conversation She pecked his lips once more before pulling away, her eyes landing on his cheek. "Whoops, I accidentally rubbed some of your disguise off." She giggled, retrieving the kit again.

After touching up Sun's face, the two of them followed the trail left by the others, finding themselves in a small, walled-off village that had various Fire Nation troops patrolling the streets. The soldiers leered at the villagers, and they in turn shrank back, as if wishing to disappear into the ground or the walls.

Ty Lee gripped Sun's hand tightly, her face stony and blank. They caught sight of the hem of Sokka's blue clothing as he disappeared into a store, and they quickly caught up with the others, slipping inside just as Aang said, "No she doesn't. We saw you Earthbending."

A harried-looking woman hurriedly shut the door and dropped the blinds, before turning to the teen who was obviously her son. "They saw you doing _what?"_

The teen drew back, before pointing a finger at them. "They're obviously crazy, mom, I mean look at how they're dressed!" He denied.

Sun narrowed his eyes at the panicked, weary look both Earth Kingdom villagers sported, furtively shooting looks at the closed windows. _I was right._ He sighed quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You know how dangerous that is, Haru!" The woman barked, worry and fear etched on her face. "You know what would happen if they caught you Earthbending!"

A sudden pair of hard knocks on the door only heightened the tension, and that was taken even further when Sokka quietly announced, "Fire Nation!" He turned to the gang and ordered, "Act Natural!"

As Haru's mom went to the door, Sokka grabbed a fruit and held it out speculatively as Haru looked down at it, a hand on his chin in thought. Katara grabbed a bowl of berries and mimed being caught mid-snack, and Aang leaned on a barrel with a very wide, cheesy smile.

Sun and Ty Lee traded disconcerted looks, which was ironically enough the only 'natural' act; giving the weird people in weird poses weird looks as they slowly backed away.

The door was opened, allowing a Fire Nation soldier bearing the leader of the company's crest on his helm, a smirk on his face that quickly gave to confusion, an eyebrow lifting in confusion as he took in the poses the others in the room had taken.

Aang fell over as the lid of the barrel he was leaning on gave way, splashing water and hitting his chin on the lip.

The captain blinked, before turning as Haru's mother spoke up. "What do you want? We already paid up this week!" She used the 'Mom Tone', which usually brooked no argument.

He smirked again. "The tax just doubled." He said, obviously lying as he held up a hand, forming a crackling ball of fire. "We wouldn't want an accident, would we?"

The older woman's face faded from defiance to resigned acceptance and Sun clenched his fist, trying to hold himself back from attacking. Ty Lee, her face blank once more, gripped his arm to stop him and herself from acting.

"Fire is so hard to control, sometimes." The soldier added, the ball of flame flaring for emphasis.

Haru's mother simply sighed quietly, walking around the store's counter and retrieving a small wooden chest. She opened it up and scooped a few pitiful silver and copper coins, handing them over to soldier, who smirked in satisfaction, picking a few coins away and dropping them on the floor. "You can keep the copper ones." He taunted, tucking the silver currency away into his pocket and leaving with the other soldiers.

Sighing once more, the woman picked the coins up, the atmosphere miserable. "Nice guy," Sokka spoke up sarcastically. "How long have they been here?"

"Five years." The older woman said resignedly. "The Fire Lord uses our coal mines to fuel his ships."

Haru scoffed, his face twisting in anger. "They're thugs." He spat. "They steal from us, they steal from everyone! And no one does anything because they're all cowards."

His mother shot him a warning look. "Don't say that, Haru!" She ordered firmly.

"But he's an Earthbender!" Katara insisted, though quietly. "He can help!"

"How could he help, Katara?" Sun asked suddenly, his face stern. "From what I saw, he's a beginner, if that. Even if we helped, there's an entire company occupying this town. We can't face that by ourselves without causing a lot of damage."

"The soldiers take away any Earthbenders they find." Haru's mother said sadly. "They took away Haru's father…I can't lose him, too. Earthbending has brought nothing but misery to our family."

A solemn silence fell over the shop, each occupant lost in their thoughts.

…

"So, you said something about creating a fighting style?" Sun asked as they set up their bedrolls in the barn near Haru's house, his mother graciously letting them use it for the night.

Ty Lee perked up from her dark thoughts, a bright smile lighting up her face. "That's right! I call it chi blocking!" She took a loose fighting stance, her hands curled into fists.

Aang flopped onto a bale of hay next to them, cupping his chin and looking curiously at the acrobat. "Why do you call it chi blocking?"

She blinked blankly. "Because it can block chi." She replied slowly, giving the Avatar a strange look.

"I've never heard of that before," Sun interjected, giving his friend an impressed look. "And you created it yourself?"

Ty Lee blushed, nodding happily. "Yup! I mean, I studied a few medical scrolls so I could find the chi systems in people, and a few acupuncture scrolls, and I used that knowledge to create Chi Blocking!" She explained quickly, throwing a few punches for emphasis.

"Eh, I don't really believe that." Sokka stated, lazily reclining on Appa's tail with a piece of hay in his lips. "You don't really seem like the type to make something like that."

The acrobat turned a narrow-eyed glare on the warrior. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, her tone threatening.

Sokka, completely ignoring the change in atmosphere, casually added fuel to the fire. "Well, you're a girl, all giggly and…pink. I just don't see it." He finished with a shrug.

Ty Lee's smile became just a little bit menacing. "It works on non-benders, too." She added. "Stand up, and I'll show you."

Sun watched with no little amusement as Sokka sighed, like standing up was some great effort that could be better spent lying around…or eating. He leaned against a post, looking bored.

Without warning, Ty Lee darted forward, jabbing Sokka in the shoulder with two fingers, causing his arm to fall limp and for him to collapse against the wooden post. Then, she lightly kicked the inside of his knee, which lead to Sokka falling to the ground, two of his limbs numb. "Believe me now?" She asked sweetly.

Sokka nodded frantically, trying to wiggle away from the smiling Airbender. "Yes, I believe you now! Can you un-chi block me, please?"

Ty Lee shrugged, still smiling. "I can't do that, sorry!" She answered, not sounding sorry at all. She cartwheeled over to Sun, who was finishing setting up his bag.

He looked up at her, a smirk playing on his lips. "I won't lie, Ty, that is both really impressive and really scary at the same time." He said truthfully.

"Aww, you really think so?" She turned away, cheeks flushed at the compliment.

"Very." Sun replied simply.

Ty Lee gave him a tight hug, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Thanks."

Aang poked Sokka in the leg, interestedly watching the Water Tribe warrior's reaction. "Did you feel that?" He asked, jiggling Sokka's arm with his staff.

"No. And stop doing that." Sokka replied, using his right arm to sit himself against Appa.

As dinner, which consisted of the remainder of their supplies from Omashu and few edible herbs that Sun had foraged for, cooked, Ty Lee sighed looking up at the full moon with a sad face. "What's wrong?" Sun asked, setting the ladle aside and taking a seat next to her. "Are you missing the circus?"

She shook her head, her long braid whipping around. "No…well, yes, but I'm also thinking about Azula and Mai." Ty Lee sighed, leaning against her childhood friend. "They know you're alive, but I'm the only one here with you. I feel bad for leaving them out."

Naruto wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. "I don't like it either. Next time we're near a Fire Nation colony, we'll write a letter and commission a messenger hawk and send it to them. How does that sound?"

She frowned lightly. "Why we can't do that now?" She asked unhappily.

"Well, this village is just occupied, there aren't any Fire Nation colonials here, so any messenger hawks are for military use only."

"Oh."

Katara, flushed with success, paused as she approached the barn, seeing the two old friends cuddling in the moonlight. It was a strange dichotomy for the Waterbender. On one hand, Ty Lee was born and raised in the Fire Nation, and Katara's childhood demanded that she be treated as an enemy. On the other hand, she genuinely liked the bubbly acrobat and found her friendly and helpful, if a little tiring. And she was an old friend of Sun's, which definitely made the blond bender happy, as well as a new Airbender for Aang to teach, which made the young Avatar very happy.

But, on an entirely different hand (one that seemed to have grown inside of her ribcage and squeezed painfully at her heart whenever she saw them being affectionate), Katara really wished Sun had never gotten that letter from Ty Lee.

Biting back her feelings, Katara approached them with a smile. "Hey guys!" She greeted, stepping into the barn. "You'll never guess what happened!"

Sun served the traveler's stew out to everyone as she regaled them with the tale of how, during the walk she took with Haru after commiserating about how one of their parents had been taken by the Fire Nation, they came across an old man trapped under a boulder as the entrance to an old coal mine collapsed on top of him; with Haru bravely using his Earthbending to save the man from a slow, crushing death.

The blond refrained from pointing out that, if Haru's mother's point of view of Earthbending being a curse was wide-spread, which it probably was, then Haru was probably in danger. However, knowing Katara, her reaction to that news would probably end up with all of them either being caught by the Fire Nation or, more realistically, having to fight them off and run, leaving the town in even more trouble.

So, Sun held back and ate his food and went to bed, quietly preparing for the next day.

…

Sure enough, after they woke up, Katara came stumbling back into the barn, grabbing at her hair in anguish. "They took him!" She shouted, eyes wide with worry.

"Took who?" Ty Lee asked groggily, rubbing at her eyes.

"Haru!" Katara answered tearily. "The old man turned him into the Fire Nation, and they came last night and took him away!"

Sokka, genuinely concerned, put an arm around his sister's shoulders and held her hand. "If they took him last night, then there's no way for us to track him." he said regretfully. "There's nothing we can do, Katara."

"But we have to do something!" Katara insisted, dashing her tears away. "It's all my fault; I pressured him into Earthbending!"

She stopped, snapping her fingers in realization. "That's it!"

Ty Lee, still half-awake, frowned at the Waterbender. "Can you stop shouting?" She asked grumpily, yawning widely. "Some of us are still getting used to waking up at dawn."

Ignoring her, Katara finished her thought. "We don't have to track him, the Fire Nation will bring me right to him!"

Aang traded confused glances with Sokka and Sun. "...Why would they do that, exactly?" he asked carefully.

"Because they'll arrest me for Earthbending." She said firmly, looking determined.

Sokka started speaking, before stopping and clearing his throat. "Uh, Katara? You know you're more the 'magic water stuff', not the 'magic rock stuff', right?"

Katara whirled around, pointing outside. "I have an idea-" She proceeded to explain that there were air vents all around town which, if they rolled a boulder over and had Aang and Ty Lee Airbend into an adjacent vent, they could mimic the look of Earthbending, thus getting her arrested.

Sokka cleared his throat, pointing at Sun. "Katara, you know Sun…"

She arched an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"You realize that I'm an Earthbender, right?" Sun spoke up, getting Katara's attention. "It would make more sense for someone who can _actually_ Earthbend be arrested for Earthbending."

"But…" Katara stuttered, recognizing his logic. "But it's my fault he got arrested in the first place! I should be the one to make it right."

Aang nodded in agreement, but the blond bender was quick to shoot it down. "Except that you're not a Firebender, or an Airbender, and that the prison, while likely on the water-"

"I'm a Waterbender!" She interjected, crossing her arms over her chest in irritation.

Sun glared at her from under his blond bangs. "I've taught you a bit, but not enough to be safe in a prison full of experienced Firebenders, Katara. It makes the most sense for me to go, not you." He finished. "Besides, I'm the leader of this little group."

"Wait, I thought I was the leader." Aang spoke up, frowning. "I am the Avatar."

"And I'm your guide," The blond replied, "How could I guide you if I'm not leading?"

The Avatar ceded to his logic, but looked put-out by it. "I agree with Sun," Sokka added with some finality. "Not just because I don't want to see my sister get hauled off by a bunch of ruthless Firebenders, though that is a big part. But because Sun is the most experienced out of us. He can handle himself."

Sun nodded to the Water Tribe warrior. "Exactly. Thanks." He stood and stretched. "Besides, it's not like I'll be unarmed. I'll still have my bending, and my staff." He pulled the shrunken form of his staff from his pocket and shrank it further, to the size of a needle. Then, he put it in his mouth…then quickly took it back out and spat, rinsing it in water. "It tastes like my hands."

…

"The patrol is coming!" Aang called from the top of a nearby building. "Take your places!"

Sun, now bereft of his armor and in his traveling clothes, turned to Sokka. "Alright, now remember to follow us at a distance. I don't know how long it'll take to free the Earthbenders, but give me until midnight."

Sokka nodded, but Katara huffed. "I still think it should be me." She grumbled sullenly.

Ty Lee suddenly jumped on Naruto, hugging him tightly. "Be safe, okay?" She whispered sadly. "And come back."

Sun gently patted her back, setting her down. "I will, Ty."

The two girls stepped out of view as a patrol of three Firebenders came around a corner. Sokka scowled at Sun and pointed angrily at his scarf. "Who wears orange, anyway?" He said sneeringly. "It's garish and too bright!"

Sun's eye twitched. "I'll crush you!" He roared, shaking the earth with a stomp that sent the warrior to the ground, bending a chunk of earth up from the ground and holding it over Sokka. "Orange is the best color in the world!"

The Fire Nation soldiers saw this very clearly, running forward and pointing their spears at Sun. "Stop, Earthbender! You are under arrest!"

As Sun turned to face them, Sokka pushed himself up and leapt at the blond, wrapping his arms around his neck. "I'll hold him!"

Sun dropped his arms, letting the rock fall with gritted teeth. "You're going to pay for that orange crack, Sokka." He whispered as the soldiers clapped him in irons and began to lead him away.

Aang and the others joined Sokka as they watched Sun be taken away. "He knows I was joking about that, right?" He asked worriedly, only for Aang to straighten his orange robes with an angry huff and walk off with his nose in the air. "I was just joking!"

…

Sun stood with a line of Earthbenders on the prison, his clothes having been switched for more appropriate prison garb as the warden strutted in front of them, his hands folded behind his back and wearing a polite visage.

"Earthbenders," He began politely, "it is my pleasure to welcome you to my modest shipyard. I'm not like other wardens; I like to think of you as honored guests, not prisoners, and I hope you'll think of me as a humble, caring host. If you simply abide by my rules, you will find-"

He was interrupted by an Earthbender in the line suddenly hacking loudly after breathing in a cloud of acrid smoke. The warden spun around, shooting a ball of fire at the prisoner's feet, making him jump back in panic.

"What kind of guest dishonors his host by interrupting?!" He shouted, before pointing at two nearby guards. "You and you, take this miserable cretin down below. A week in solitary ought to improve his manners."

Sun watched helplessly as the man was lead away, kicking and struggling.

The warden sighed, straightening his armor. "As I was saying," He said with a humph. "Treat me with the same courtesy I give you, and we will get along famously." He turned to leave, before stopping and looking back at them over his shoulder. "Oh, and if you have noticed, this rig is made entirely out of metal, and you are miles away from any rock or earth. So, if you wish to employ that barbaric gesturing you call a bending art, you'll find that it is quite impossible."

The warden waved his hand dismissively, taking his leave as the prisoners were lead away to their new home.

Sun had the irons around his wrists unlatched and was pushed through a small door, out into the living area. It was wide open, and that was really the only thing good that could be said about it. Small tents had been pitched, but the fabric was threadbare and thin, and there was an aura of hopelessness that permeated the whole place.

Stepping in, Sun quickly found Haru, who was more than a little surprised to see him. "You're one of those guys who was with Katara…Sun, right?"

"That's me." He replied with a small smile. "She felt bad about you getting arrested, so I decided to come and help you guys break out of here."

"You felt bad, so you got yourself arrested?" Haru chuckled, shaking his head. "That takes guts. Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

The younger teen led Sun to a group of prisoners who were eating some kind of 'food' out of wooden bowls, stopping at the last, a large man with long beard and a weary face. "Sun, this is my father Tyro."

Sun nodded to the man. "Nice to meet you. So," He went straight to his whole point of being there. "What's your escape plan?"

"Escape plan?" Tyro repeated with some incredulity. "There is no 'escape plan'. The only thing we can do is survive, and hope that this war ends soon, so that we can all go home and forget this ever happened."

Sun stared at the older man with shock on his face. "What?" He said lowly. "That's it? You're just going to wait? You're not going to fight back, not even to see your wife again?"

"That's not what I said." Tyro growled, peering at the blond over the edge of his bowl. "Look, I admire your courage and youth, but there are lives at stake, here, and not just ours, either."

"Then that's all the more reason to fight!" Sun yelled, slamming his fist into the metal ground, startling the men and women around. "If you won't fight to save yourselves, at least do so for your loved ones! Do you have no spine?"

Haru started forward, his father speaking up. "I don't like your tone." He muttered threateningly.

Sun glowered at him, his eyes like chips of ice. "I don't care." He spoke through gritted teeth, before standing and walking to an open area. Clapping his hands to get their attention, he shouted, "Earthbenders! You sit here on this fake island, heads bowed and spirits shackled, but you are not dead! While your families suffer on the mainland, you suffer here, in silence! And why?"

The Warden, drawn by the commotion, watched with a smirk as the blond appealed to the crowd, though they appeared to be looking at him with fear and trepidation than anything else.

"Because you think you are powerless!" Sun continued. "Your may not be able to bend, but there is more to all of you then just bending! You still have arms! You still have lives! The fight is not over, not so long as one of us breathes! This fight can still be won, but you have to get back up! You've been knocked down, but your fate is still in your hands!"

He raised his arms, spreading them before the masses. "Who will join me? Who still has the will to fight?" He called, watching with dawning disappointment as Haru tried to step forward, but was pulled back by his father. The other Earthbenders shrank back, and the Warden shook his head, laughing. Turning away, he began to walk off, satisfied that the spirits of his prisoners was still broken.

Sun viewed the fearful faces, an empty feeling welling up inside of him. "No one." He shook his head in disgust. "I see, now. You've been whipped. Beaten down. Broken. So much for the famed 'unbreakable' will of the Earth Kingdom."

The blond scoffed, pointing at smokestack that was spewing black smoke into the sky. "Do you see that? What exactly do you think the Fire Nation is burning, wood? Coal. They store it under here! The key to your freedom is right beneath your feet!"

He stomped, throwing his arms out, to seemingly no effect. Then, the platform underneath them shook, a deep rumbling echoing from down below before piles of coal spilled out of vents around Sun, piling up. He stepped on top of the newly-made hill, scooping up a handful of coal.

"Do you see this? This is the instrument of your freedom! Take up your skills and free yourselves!" He called, the Warden peering down at him from above. "I ask once again, who will join me? Who wishes to take their fate back?"

There was silence.

Sun scowled, crushing the lumps in his hand to dust. "Where the hell is your pride?" He barked angrily. "Not just as Earthbenders, but as men and women! If you can still be called that! You're more like whipped dogs, cowering before their owner in fear!"

"That is exactly what they are!" The Warden called down, a smug smirk on his face. "They have no pride anymore, you foolish boy. I've made sure of that. Did you really think some inspirational speech and some coal would be all it took?"

Sun sighed explosively, glancing at the fearful Earthbenders over his shoulder. "I had hoped." He muttered.

Haru broke away from his father's grip and sprinted forward, scrambling up the pile to stand next to Sun. "Sun is right!"

Tyro stepped forward, urgently waving at his son. "Haru! Get down from there right now!"

"No!" Haru denied, shaking his head fiercely. "I will fight, even if you won't! Because I'm tired of having to hide what I am, to be ashamed of what I can do with my gift, to suffer because of men like him!" He shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the Warden. "Join us! Fight back!"

The Warden laughed uproariously, as if he had just been told a very funny joke. "It was a good effort, boys, truly. But this farce has gone on long enough." He motioned to the Firebenders dropping from above to surround the two. "Kill them."

As the benders began to create fire, Sun glanced at the other Earthbenders, shaking his head in disappointment. "Well, I tried." He muttered, reaching up and pulling a gold needle out of his mouth. "Haru, duck."

The younger teen dropped to the ground as Sun spun the suddenly overlong staff over his head, knocking the Firebenders to the ground, whirling around to fire a wall of air at the charging guards.

Haru bent coal into the air, firing it at the guards attacking them, who deflected most of it with precise blasts of fire. A wall of coal suddenly rose behind him, the Warden's sneak attack splashing harmlessly against it. Haru turned and spotted his father, his face fierce and determined.

"For the Earth Kingdom!" He roared, slamming his palms into the ground, bending a wave of coal at the forces pouring from the main body of the prison. "Attack!"

A melee began as the Earthbenders, their spirits aroused once more, attacked their captors with boulders of coal and a desire for revenge. The Firebenders fought back, littering the deck with heaps and piles of burning coal.

Appa flew overhead, dropping of Aang and the others. Katara summoned a wave of water from the ocean around them, throwing it at the Firebenders attacking them.

Ty Lee flipped through the ruckus, jabbing and kicking those who came near, finding themselves unable to move and falling to the ground, numb. She dodged under a tongue of flame, cartwheeling behind her attack and lightly punching the side of his neck and spine, causing him to tumble forward, before backflipping over a ball of fire, facing the Firebender who sent it at her.

Only for the man to pitch forward, flying over her head and splashing into the ocean. Sun smiled at her, before pointing behind her. Ty Lee spun, her braid slapping the Firebender behind her in the face, stunning him and allowing her to blast him off the side with her Airbending.

"Head for the ships!" Tyro commanded, hurling a small boulder at the Warden.

Aang spun his staff, creating a tornado that swept across the deck, picking up both Firebenders and coal, battering the former with the latter, the Earthbenders hurling their defeated enemies into the twister. Sun picked up a Firebender by his face and hurled him into the whirlwind as it burst, throwing bodies and black rocks into the air to land heavily on the deck.

Tyro and another pair of Earthbenders gathered the coal, and the guards, into one large, messy ball, letting it hover over the side. "No, you can't do this! I can't swim!" The Warden called fearfully.

Tyro grinned fiercely, bearing his teeth. "Don't worry, I heard that cowards float!" He called, dumping the gathered mass overboard.

…

Hours later, Sun stood at the prow of a Fire Nation ship that had been stolen by the free Earthbenders, and was now heading towards the mainland. He spied Katara talking animatedly with Haru as Tyro approached. "You were right." The older man said. "Our pride was broken. But you, and my son, showed me that as long as I still breathe, I can still fight."

"It is when we lose the will to fight, even for the ones we love, that we truly stop being human." Sun said wisely, looking up at the full moon overhead. _I guess some of my teacher's wisdom rubbed off on me._ He thought with a small smile.

"Wise words. And while I don't appreciate how you said what you did, my family owes you a great debt." Tyro stated. "And after today, we will take back my village, and the others from the Fire Nation. We will make them regret stepping foot on our land."

Sun turned to face the older man, bowing slightly. "I wish you the best of luck." He said, sticking out his hand.

Tyro chuckled, shaking his hand strongly. "I get the feeling you will need it more than I, seeing as you are traveling with the Avatar." He said knowingly, tilting his head at Aang.

"True enough." Sun agreed with a light laugh.

He left the prow, approaching Appa, who was sitting on the deck as Aang and the others prepared to take off. Ty Lee was looking rather frazzled, searching through the saddlebags with a panicked look on her face.

"What's wrong, Ty?" He asked.

"My hair!" She cried unhappily, tugging on her messy braid, which appeared to be missing one of the bindings. "I lost one of the bindings!"

Sun hugged her, trying to sooth her. "It's alright, Ty. I'll get you another one when we stop next."

She sniffled, rubbing her face on his shoulder. "But I liked that one." She murmured unhappily.

They climbed into the saddle and settled in as Aang flicked the reins and Appa took off to continue their journey.

…

Back on the rig, someone knelt on the ground, brushing away a bit of coal, exposing a burnt orange binding that they picked up.

Zuko held the small hair-piece up to the light, his face twisted in confusion. Then, realization struck, and his eyes went wide.

…

…

…

…

 **A/N: Kept you waiting, huh?**

 **I'm not going to apologize for the delay between chapters, because what would that really mean in text? I do have a reason, however. I've had this kind of fatigue, Writer's Fatigue, where I knew what I wanted to write but whenever I sat down, I just couldn't write a thing.**

 **However, after several hours of gaming and no small amount of marijuana, I got some of my mojo back, and the rest is slowly returning, though slowly. I've got classes and it looks like I'm going to be involved in a club, and I might get a job, so I'm really just writing when I can.**

 **So, in this chapter: I took my own experience with meditation and what I know of Airbending and combined to form the first lesson. I'm pretty much just making that up as I go.**

 **And as for replacing Katara, I went through both canons and, as I thought, Naruto has more 'Inspirational Speeches per Chapter' (IPSch) than Katara, even with all her hope-bending, as I like to call it. And it wasn't Naruto stealing her thunder, but being more fitting for the role. I mean, besides all the speeches in canon (which someone called Talk no jutsu, which makes me laugh in agreement and want to punch whoever came up with that at the same time), Naruto is the more skilled and experienced, so it made sense for him to go to prison.**

 **Plus, he's actually an Earthbender. Semantics, I know.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Why not review if you enjoyed it?**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: I have chapters in the works for literally all of my main stories in the works (JotWE, Dare, Still Not A Hero, The Life) so look forward to those. When they come. Eventually.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**

…

…

A pair of sulfurous yellow eyes peered down at the small Earth Kingdom village as the villagers celebrated their freedom from the Fire Nation. The figure chuckled quietly to himself. " **My targets have definitely through here."** He muttered under his mask. " **Now, where is my prey heading next?"**


	9. The Spirit and the Solstice

Sokka was a banana.

Well, he dreamed of being a banana. Anyway, hanging from from a branch by his lonesome, gently rocking in the breeze. All the other bananas in the bunch had been picked when they were a creamy yellow; but Sokka the Banana had not been picked, and that was because he was blue. He was Sokka the Blue Banana.

It wasn't as if Sokka (who was a blue banana) minded all that much; after all, people ate the bananas they picked, and if they didn't pick him, he wouldn't be eaten. It was flawless logic, as far as he was concerned.

After a while, Sokka began to wonder; which was strange, because most bananas didn't wonder or even think, but he was special. And blue. Most of his dreams, when they included food, featured him eating them. A part of him wondered how that could be; after all bananas, even blue ones, didn't have mouths, but it was unimportant. There was one dream where a legion of blubbered-seal jerky soldiers stormed his sleeping bag and attempted to strangle him for his merciless eating of their brethren, but that always ended with him heroically defeating his delicious enemy by heroically sacrificing his waistline to eat the entire legion of jerky soldiers, and waking up to find that he had been chewing on his pillow in his sleep.

Even though blue bananas really didn't interact much with jerky. Or seals. Or pillows.

Before Sokka the Blue Banana could follow this train of thought, a harsh breeze rocked the branch he was hanging on, catapulting him into the waking world.

Sokka the Water Tribe Warrior woke up wondering why he was hanging in his sleeping bag, before panic took over and yelled out in surprise. "What the hell's going on?!" He screamed, trying to scrabble out of his bag, only to freeze when it rocked in the wind. He was caught in a branch or something on the side of a cliff, unable to see the ground through the thick, swirling mist surrounding him.

"Hanging out, Sokka?" A familiar voice asked. Looking up as best as he could in the situation, Sokka found Sun looking down at him with a smirk.

"Sun!" He called hopefully. "Help me!"

Sun put his hand to his chin in thought. "Well, I _could_ do that," He mused, "but my scarf is so _garishly_ bright and orange that I might be blinded and accidentally miss. Better to not try, I'd say."

"What?!" Sokka called in surprise. "You can see me just fine! Pull me up before I plummet to my death, Sun!"

The blond bender shrugged. "Nah, I'm good. I'm just going to stand here with my orange scarf that you insulted and just watch. Should be fun." He grinned scarily at the hanging tribal, fingering his neckwear. "But if you, say, apologize and say that orange is the best color in the world, I might help you up."

Barely pausing for a thought, Sokka quickly shouted, "I'm sorry! Orange is the best color in the world!"

Sun tilted his head in thought. "That didn't seem sincere enough." He said, before shrugging. "Oh well. Bye Sokka, have a nice trip!" He waved as he turned to walk away.

"Orange is the best color in the world! It's better than every other color ever!" Sokka called desperately as the sleeping bag rocked in the breeze.

The blond stopped and nodded to himself, turning back bending down, picking his staff off the ground and holding it up, the end that Sokka was hanging from rising, and dumped the tribal on solid ground, laughing as Sokka scrambled from the bag and kissed the ground. He looked up to find Sun being joined by Aang and Ty Lee, the Airbenders laughing, even his sister was giggling at him.

"What is going on?!" Sokka shouted, waving his arms furiously. "Why'd you dangle me off of a cliff? And why did you let him?!" The last question was directed at Katara, her mirth-filled blue eyes peering at him over her hand.

"Well, you insulted orange." Sun replied with a shrug, as if that explained everything. "And orange is the best color in the world!" Both he and Aang proclaimed, pointing into the air for emphasis.

"I thought it would be funny," Katara said honestly, with a small shrug. "And it's not like you were in any danger. I wouldn't have let them if you were."

Sokka gaped at the others in the group, his eyes wide. "'Any danger'? They dangled me over a cliff!"

"Take another look," Aang suggested, waving his hand and bending a small wave of air at Sokka. The tribal warrior gave the young Airbender a narrow glare, before turning around and gasping. The "cliff" he had been dangled over was actually a deep ditch, the mist he had seen hiding the fact that he had been held about a foot off of the ground.

"Did you think I would actually hold you over a cliff?" Naruto asked in amusement. "Orange is the best color, but I wouldn't put your life in danger just for a prank."

Sokka glared at the giggling group. "Vengeance will be mine." He swore in a comically serious whisper.

His sister shook her head in exasperation. "Come on, Mister Vengeance, breakfast is getting cold, and I made bacon."

He immediately perked up at the mention of food, gathering his sleeping bag up and following after the others. "How did you make it seem like I was really high up?" Sokka asked curiously, after consuming his first plate of food.

"Well, Katara and Aang worked together to make the mist, to hide the fact that the bottom wasn't that far," Sun explained, holding his cloak over his lap. "Ty Lee used her Airbending to rock your sleeping bag while I held it on my staff."

"Oh." He focused back on his food. "That was pretty good prank. I'm surprised my sister joined in, though. She can be a little…" He faltered as Katara fixed him with a blank glare over the dying fire. "Nevermind."

"You mean 'boring', right?" Ty Lee finished for him, sticking her tongue out at the Waterbender. "She wouldn't let us until Naruto told her exactly what we wanted to do."

Sokka nodded in agreement, resuming the activity of stuffing his face.

After breakfast had been consumed and the campsite packed, the gang resumed their journey through the air, sailing between the clouds while comfortably sitting in Appa's saddle. Every time they passed within arm's reach of a cloud, Sun would reach out with his cloak in his arms and drag it through the formation, before Waterbending the liquid out of it and grunting in frustration every time.

"What are you doing, Sun?" Katara finally asked after watching the cycle continue for more than an hour.

He sighed and set the pile of cloth down, leaning on the side of the saddle. "I'm trying to wash the dye out of my cloak, but it's too soaked in. The color won't wash out, and pink just doesn't go with my outfit." Sun poked the pink cape with his foot, glancing over at Ty Lee. "Actually, I have an idea. Why don't you take this, Ty? You need something to fly with, and it is your favorite color."

Looking interested, the acrobat crawled across the saddle and sat next to Sun, pulling the cape up to her, holding it up in the air. "Ooh, it's the perfect shade!" She enthused, hugging the soft cloth to herself, before turning a questioning look on her friend. "What about you, though? How will you fly?"

Sun shrugged, crossing his arms behind his head. "We'll just have to stop at a trading village near the water and I'll buy some sailcloth, then I'll cut it into shape, treat it and I'll be good to go." He replied easily.

Aang, confident Appa could handle the flying, hopped back into the saddle. "Why don't we just get you guys some gliders instead?" He asked confusedly. "I mean, they are the traditional method of flying."

"True, but do you know how to make more gliders?" Sun pointed out. "Or where we can find more?"

The young Airbender shook his head regretfully. "I don't, sorry. Aw, I really wanted us to fly together!" He whined, pouting.

Ty Lee looked up from securing her new cloak as the blond bender reached over and patted Aang's shoulder. "Don't worry, Aang, we can still fly together, I just need to get another cape and teach Ty Lee how to use hers." Sun said comfortingly.

Aang perked up, looking at the clouds surrounding them. "You know, I didn't know clouds were made out of water." He commented, sticking his hand into a passing formation, pulling it back and finding it covered in cold liquid. "Who knew?"

"Just from the way they look, you'd think you would just land in a big, soft cottony heap." Katara added, looking ahead of Appa. "Hey…what's that?"

Her question drew the attention of the others, who looked over the saddle, gasping in surprise and dismay. The land below was pleasantly green, with a blue river running through it. But a swath of land had burned, blackened and scarred. The foliage had been scorched away, leaving charred, twisted remains of trees, the river tainted grey with ash.

"It's like a scar." Sokka noted, his voice somber.

Appa slowed and came to land in the middle of the burned area, lowing quietly in distress. Ty Lee spun slowly, taking in the devastation with wide grey eyes. "Who could've done this?" She asked in a hushed voice, her slippered feet crunching in the embers.

Katara snorted as Sokka pointed out a set of tracks, the pointed boot-print coming from one certain kind of people. "Who else burns the world around them without a care?" The Waterbender questioned rhetorically, shooting the acrobat a narrow glare.

Ty Lee pulled her cloak tightly around herself, sitting despondently on the burned stump of a tree, her visage miserable. Sun stepped up next to her, wrapping his arm around her comfortingly while giving Katara a flat look, making her glance away guiltily.

"Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?" Aang asked himself, his fingers sifting through the ashes.

Sun sighed. "Aang, how is this your responsibility?"

"I'm the Avatar. I'm supposed to protect nature, but…I don't know how." The young Avatar dropped his to the ground. "I don't even know how to do my job."

"As much as you might not like it, Aang, humans are a part of nature, too. And who's to say this was caused by Firebenders?" The blond bender pointed out, raising his hand to stall any objections from the Water Tribals with a stern look. "Not every fire is caused by a Firebender, you two. Who's to say this didn't happen because of thunderstorm? Lightning striking dry wood is just as effective as a fireball when it comes to starting a fire. In fact…"

He stepped up to Sokka, finding the tracks in the ash, following them to the edge of the burned area. "Look here. See how smooth the lines are between the burned area and the green? See how fine the ash is right here? Now _this_ was caused by a Firebender."

"Aha!" Sokka exclaimed, "So this was-"

"I'm not done." Sun cut him off. "Did you notice that the fine ash stretches several feet before mixing with the regular ash? That means our Firebender, for there was just one, used their Firebending to pre-burn the area before the fire spread even farther. If they hadn't, this area would still be blazing right now."

He sighed, kneeling to the ground and grabbing a handful of ash from both sides, storing it in a container and putting it in his pocket. "It's something that you all need to recognize, and the world, too." He said seriously, turning to look at the gathered group with a serious face. "The Elements are not inherently evil. Do you curse the air when a tornado rips a village to shreds with it's fury, and refuse to breathe? Do you curse the water when a tidal wave smashes a fishing ship to pieces with it's might, and refuse to drink?"

Sun ran his hand through the blackened dirt, coming up with a pair of blackened but still whole acorns. "Of course not. You mourn the dead, you learn from the experience, and you say, 'that's just how nature is.' An earthquake can create beautiful new mountains, or sink a kingdom in a fissure. It creates and destroys, that is simply how nature is. A cycle of life and death. Fire is no different." He stored one of the acorns away, before handing the other to Aang, patting his bald head. "You are the Avatar, Aang; but you are still human. You can't be responsible for everything. And this valley…don't think of it as end, as if the forest won't recover. The grass will shoot through the ash, new trees will spread their leaves to the sun…one day. Time heals all wounds."

They watched silently as the blond bender strode away, gently patting the disturbed Appa's head and scratching behind his ears. "You know…" Sokka spoke up, sounding thoughtful. "With how fun Sun is, I sometimes forget how serious he can be."

"Yeah…" Katara and Ty Lee echoed, their eyes on Sun's back as he comforted the sky-bison.

Aang gazed at the acorn in his hand, thinking over the lecture they had been given. "He's right." He murmured, rubbing his thumb over the smooth shell. "This forest will grow back eventually."

The Waterbender reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a warm smile, before turning around after hearing a sound.

Walking to them was an old man, wearing rough green clothes and leaning heavily on a walking stick. "When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible…but those marks…" He gestured at Aang's head. "Are you the Avatar, child?"

Aang tucked the acorn away, nodding firmly. "I am."

The man nodded in confirmation. "I thought so. Please, come with me. My village desperately needs your help."

"Alright, lead on." The group trailed after the man, Sun bringing up the rear with Appa. Sokka slowed down to join the blond, looking confused.

"So, Sun, how did you know there was only one Firebender?" He asked carefully.

"The Fire Nation armies march in companies three columns across, with tanks in between companies. This a forested area, with the trees close together; not exactly conducive to marching or driving tanks. If the Fire Nation _did_ come up this way, they would've come by boat. Plus, the tracks were made after the fire died down." He shot Sokka an amused look, seeing that the Water Tribe Warrior was taking notes. "Firebenders may control flames, but they can burned just as easily as anyone else. They wouldn't start a forest fire where they'd be marching through; that would just be stupid."

"Oh." Sokka muttered, scratching his chin. "So…we overreacted, huh?"

"Kinda." Sun replied bluntly. "You're going to have to get over your prejudice at some point, you and Katara. Not everyone in the Fire Nation is a bastard. The ones who are though, are usually in charge. The rest are mostly conscripted soldiers who would be whipped, or worse, if they didn't follow orders."

Sokka looked up at the sky in thought. "Huh. You can be very mature at times."

"I know!" The blond complained loudly, making the others jump. "It sucks!"

Ty Lee looked back at them, startled by the sudden noise. "What sucks?" She asked curiously.

"Being mature!" Sun whined, crossing his arms and pouting. "It makes me feel old. I'm only eighteen!"

The acrobat giggled at his childish display, though that died down as they approached the village. A large chunk of the wall had been reduced to ashen rubble, along with more than a few buildings.

They strode through the small village, approaching the largest building, where most of the townsfolk were gathered. As the old man approached, a tall man in stately robes walked over to greet them, his eyes looking to the old man in question.

"This young man is the Avatar." He replied, murmurs following in the wake of his statement.

"So the rumors of your return are true, then." The village leader said, folding his hands and bowing deeply to the group. "It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to meet you, Avatar."

Aang bowed in reply to the greeting. "Nice to meet you, too. What can I help you with?"

The leader looked away with tired, pained visage. "I'm…not entirely sure…"

"Our village is in a crisis. He's our only hope." The old man stated, turning to the group. "The last few days, a monster comes at sunset and attacks our village. He is Hei-Bai, the black and white spirit."

Sun's face became understanding, while the others remained confused. "Why would this spirit attack you?"

The chief sighed, moving past them to stare at the setting sun. "We don't know. Three nights in a row, he has come and abducted three of our people, dragging them into the forest and disappearing. We grow ever more fearful as the Winter Solstice approaches."

Before they could ask, Sun spoke up. "The Solstices are the times when the Spirit World and the Living world nearly occupy the same plane of existence. The lines between the worlds are almost nonexistent at that point." He explained.

The old man nodded. "Exactly. Hei-Bai is already too powerful to fight, and with the Spirit world growing stronger, what kind of havoc could he wreak on the Solstice?"

"So, what do you need me to do?" Aang asked, having an inkling already.

"Who better to resolve our crisis with a spirit than the bridge between worlds?" The Chief replied with a question. "You are the Avatar. Perhaps Hei-Bai will listen to you."

"…Right." Aang muttered, not looking confident.

Sun put his hand on his shoulder and lead him away with the rest of the group. "Listen to me, Aang. Spirits are ancient and powerful, and they know that. Treat them with respect and caution, and never let your guard down. Hei-Bai is the Forest Spirit; normally placid, but if he's been abducting people, something has angered him. He might not be in a listening kind of mood, so be prepared to fight if necessary." He patted the young Avatar on the shoulder.

Aang sighed, taking a bracing breath. "Right. I can do this." He said determinedly.

"We believe in you, Aang." Katara added encouragingly, smiling serenely. Ty Lee nodded and agreement, and Sokka gave him a thumb's up.

"I believe…" He waited until Aang turned away to finish his sentence under his breath. "we're all going to be eaten by a spirit monster."

"Sunset approaches, Avatar." The chief said, walking up to them. "Will you help us?"

Aang nodded resolutely. "I will. Where does he come from at sunset?"

The chief pointed at the broken down wall. "Over there. Please save us, Avatar."

The bald monk slowly strode to the broken wall, facing the trees. As he did that, the villagers and the rest of the group hid in the meeting house, watching Aang through a window. After a few minutes, Sokka frowned. "Doesn't feel right, leaving Aang out there to face a monster while we cower." He muttered unhappily.

"This is a good learning experience." Sun replied, carefully watching Aang. "He needs to learn how to deal with spirits at some point; why not now?"

"Still…" The tribal said, crossing his arms. "He shouldn't have to face this alone."

Within a few minutes, the sun had fully set. "The sun has set!" Aang shouted, standing at the gate, his voice wavering with nervousness. "Where are you, Hei-Bai? Well, I hereby ask you to please leave this village alone!" He spun his staff around impressively, planting it in the ground with a firm expression.

There was silence, only broken by the faint sound of Sun face-palming and muttering angrily to himself.

"Guess that's it, then." The Avatar said to himself with a shrug, turning around to head back into the village. He didn't hear the leaves rustle as a massive shape emerged from the forest, almost silently following him into the village.

That's not to say that the villagers or the rest of the group were unaware. No, they were very aware. "I can say with all certainty that Hei-Bai is pissed off." Sun commented mildly, his hand slipping into his pocket to grasp his staff, his eyes on the tall, monstrous form approaching them, aware of someone behind him quietly wetting themselves in fear and whimpering in terror.

Aang finally became aware of something wrong, spinning around to look behind him, his eyes widening in surprise. "You must be Hei-Bai." He bowed shortly. "My name is-"

He was cut off by a loud, angry roar from the creature, blue energy spilling from its razor-filled maw, the power ripping Aang's glider from his hand. It tilted back and bellowed at the sky, raising four of its six arms, releasing another wave of energy, before coming back down and charging into the village.

Sun dived through the window, extending his staff to full size and leaping up to meet Hei-Bei head on as it charged through one house and decimated the other with a roar. He skipped off of the earth and landed one of the remaining watchtowers, hammering the spirit in the side with his staff.

Hei-Bai stumbled back, turning its attention to the blond with a furious growl. He darted forward and Sun leaped away as it smashed the ground, bouncing and hit the spirit in the face, causing it to recoil.

"My name is Aang!" The young Avatar called desperately. "I just want to help! Please, stop destroying things!"

Sun spun, deflecting a swipe from Hei-Bai with his staff and smacking away a strike from one of the smaller arms. "Aang, Hei-Bai is enraged." He said, his face and voice calm despite the combat. "We'll need to subdue him to get him to listen."

"I'm just trying to do my job as the bridge between worlds!" Aang insisted, landing behind the spirit. "Can you please just turn around and talk?"

Hei-Bai ignored the loud little human in favor of trying to crush the bright human, whose weapon caused him no small amount of pain.

Irritated at being ignored, Aang shouted. "I command you to turn around now!"

Even more annoyed, the giant black and white spirit spun around to face the unprepared Avatar, swatting him from the top of the building into a nearby roof.

"That wasn't respectful at all!" Sun called to Aang. "Don't try to command a Spirit-gah!"

Hei-Bai struck at the blond, forcing him to flip away and extend his staff several feet longer, swinging up and hitting the spirit under the chin, flipping it onto it's back with howl of pain. It skittered back to it's feet and roared, only to pause in surprise as something small and metal bounced off of it's butt.

"Hey, angry spirit monster, over here!" Sokka called, having thrown his boomerang.

"Not the time, Sokka!" Sun shouted.

Aang pulled himself to his feet, shaking the dizziness off and looking concerned for Sokka. "Sokka, get away from here!"

Sokka shook his head, determined to hold his ground. "We can fight him together, Aang."

"I don't want to fight!" The young Airbender replied. "I'm just trying to-ah!"

Hei-Bai crossed the distance in a flash, one of his small arms snatching Sokka up before turning and dashing into the forest.

"Ah, crap." The blond muttered, before calling. "Ty Lee! Follow us!" He paused for a second, wrapping the wind around him and blurring into the forest, leaving a trail of dust that was followed as Ty Lee augmented her speed with Airbending and Aang took to the sky on his glider.

As they reached the treeline, the acrobat leaped into the boughs, bouncing from branch-to-branch, following the large black and white form as it slipped through the trunks.

"Aang!" Sokka shouted from the hand holding him. "I decided I don't actually want to fight him together!"

Sun sped up to the spirit as Ty Lee hopped above it, Aang pulling ahead. The young Airbender swooped in front of Hei-Bai, holding his hand out to Sokka as they crossed into the burnt section of the forest. Just as Aang grabbed Sokka's hand, both he and the spirit vanished in a flash of blue light.

Unable to stop himself, the Avatar hit the ground and rolled to a rough stop at the foot of stone bear statue. Sun slid to a stop beside him, kicking up a trail of ash in his wake. Ty Lee gracefully landed next to him, looking down worriedly as Aang lay still on the ground. "We were too late." She said regretfully, shaking her head. "Aang? Are you alright?"

Sun tilted his head, kneeling next to the Avatar and rolling him over. He appeared to sleeping, and Sun touched a finger to his bald head. "He's in the Spirit World." He revealed, carefully hefting the unconscious body up onto his shoulders, looking around. Spotting a misty blue form standing next to the statue, he pointed at it. "He's right there, actually. The planes have become so merged he barely moved when entering."

Ty Lee looked to the blond with concern. "Er, Naruto? I don't see anything there. Are you sure you're okay?"

He smiled at her and nodded at the confused Spirit-form of Aang. "I'm sure. Come on, let's head back and tell them what happened."

Aang walked alongside them, carrying a representation of his staff. "If I'm in the Spirit World, how can you see me? Or hear me?" He asked.

Sun shrugged, jostling the body on his shoulders. "I lived in the Spirit World for a decade, Aang. The only person more connected to both worlds is you. No one else can see or hear you, though." He explained, before turning to Ty Lee. "I noticed how fast you were jumping, Ty. Your form is very good."

She blushed, smiling happily. "Thanks. I felt a little slow, though. I'm not used to the weight of my cape yet."

"You'll get used to it eventually, don't worry. Besides, it looks good on you." He complimented, making her grin.

She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. "It does, doesn't it?" She said, tugging on the hem of her cloak. "It matches my aura so well."

"I am so confused." Aang muttered to himself, rubbing his head. "What am I supposed to do here?"

Sun shrugged. "I don't know, Aang. It'll come to you in time. Just be patient."

They walked back through the trees, eventually ending up at the village. "Sun!" Katara called, running up to them. "What happened? Where's Sokka? And why are you carrying Aang?"

Sun held up a hand to stave off anymore questions. "First, Hei-Bai escaped with Sokka, and Aang is in the Spirit World right now, and his body is sleeping." He answered, rubbing Ty Lee's back when she frowned.

"I was there too, by the way." Ty Lee interjected, crossing her arms.

Katara barely looked at her before going back to Sun. "How do you know?" She asked in concern.

"I lived in the Spirit World." He replied, before pointing next to her. "And Aang is right there."

She looked around, seeing exactly nothing even though walked through the young monk a couple of times. "I don't see anything, Sun. Are you sure?"

"Yup. Now excuse me while I go put Aang's body somewhere safe and buy a sail." He excused himself to go see the leader of the village, leaving the two girls alone.

Ty Lee frowned at Katara, who looked away from her. "What's your problem?" She asked directly. "Ever since I joined up, you been treating me like I'm evil!"

Katara scowled. "I don't have a problem, you do! You're the one being confrontational."

"Oh right, and you're not the one who stares at me suspiciously when you think I'm not looking and watches me like I'm a spy." The acrobat shot back. "Is it because you're not the only girl in the group anymore? Or is it because Naruto is paying attention to me now?"

"That's not it at all!" The Waterbender denied heatedly. "And his name is _Sun!_ "

"He doesn't care what I call him!" Ty Lee replied. "If it's not that, then what? Is it because I was born in the Fire Nation?"

"Yes!" Katara finally admitted, her words bursting forth like a flood. "The Fire Nation is evil! They kill and destroy for no reason! They're throwing the world out of balance and you're one of them!"

Ty Lee glared at the panting Waterbender in frosty silence. "I'm an Airbender." She stated with a furious sort of calm, "And I may have been born in the Fire Nation, but I'm not evil. Or are you forgetting that Naruto was also born there?"

The way Katara drew back was evidence enough that she had. The acrobat rolled her eyes and waved Katara off, turning on her heel and striding away with a huff. "Whatever, I'm not going to deal with you anymore. And to think, I thought your hair-loopies were cute."

The Waterbender drew herself up in indignation. "Oh yeah? Well, you're a ditz!"

"Your aura is hideous!" Ty Lee shouted back, not turning around.

Katara huffed and spun around, marching off in a different direction.

Ty Lee found Naruto talking to an older woman, holding up a length of thick, rough cloth. "This is perfect, thanks." He bundled it up and handed her a few gold pieces. "By the way, do you have a cauldron I can borrow?"

Sun looked up as he walked, noticing his childhood friend leaning against a nearby building with her arms folded and an unhappy look on her face. "Hey, Ty Lee. What happened?" He asked carefully.

She pushed off the building and followed him, grumbling to herself. "Stupid tribal…accusing me…as if…"

"I'm guessing it has something to do with Katara." He said dryly, finding Appa at a stable and setting the cauldron down. Gathering some wood and bending water into the pot, he lit a fire underneath it with a quick burst of Firebending. "What happened?"

Ty Lee huffed. "She said I was evil because I was born in the Fire Nation, and she watches me like I'm a spy, just waiting to catch me doing something wrong."

"That's because she's suffered by the hands of the Fire Nation." Sun replied easily, using a knife to slice strips of cloth away from the main body.

"But I wasn't responsible!" The acrobat protested. "I wasn't around when whatever happened!"

The blond nodded, not looking up from his work. "I know that. Katara's having a hard time reconciling that not everyone who is Fire Nation is bad after being told that her entire life. Sokka is dealing with the same thing."

The water began to boil as Ty Lee sat in silence. Sun poured the contents of a small pouch into the cauldron, stirring it with a stick. "I don't like it." She finally said, leaning against his leg.

"Me neither, but as I said to Aang, just be patient." He turned to the Spirit form of the Avatar, who was seated next to Appa, looking grumpy. "Speaking of which, have you thought of anything, Aang?"

The Avatar huffed. "No." He replied tersely.

Sun shrugged dumping the cloth in the cauldron. "Look up, I think an idea is coming to you."

Aang looked up at the sky, frowning at the blue blur among the clouds. "What is that? Is it Sokka?" He asked.

"Unless Sokka can fly, then no." The blond replied, stirring his cauldron and patting Appa's side as the bison sniffed at it curiously. "You don't want to drink that, buddy. It smells good but it tastes terrible, trust me on that."

A blue spirit dragon flew from the sky, landing before Aang, who shrieked in surprise. It didn't make any move to attack him, just resting in front of him. "Do you know where Sokka is?" Aang asked the dragon.

It grunted at him, one of its whiskers reaching out and touching his head. Aang's eyes glowed blue for a second, before fading into a look of realization. "Oh. You were Avatar Roku's animal guide, like Appa is for me! Is there some way for me to talk to Roku? I need to save my friend, and he might know how."

The dragon bent its neck, motioning for Aang to mount it. The young monk did, looking back as the dragon began to ascend. "I'll be back soon, Sun! Take care of my body!"

Ty Lee looked up from the cauldron, feeling like she missed something. "Did something just happen to Aang?" She asked curiously.

Sun began to retrieve strips of cloth from the boiling water. "Yup. The spirit of Avatar Roku's dragon picked him up and flew away." He replied easily, kicking dirt over the small fire.

"…I'll take your word for it." The acrobat replied uneasily.

Katara stepped around the other side of the stable. "Hey, Sun, can I talk to you about something?" She paused upon seeing Ty Lee, who huffed and turned away from her. "Nevermind, I can see you're busy." She bit out, turning on her heel and making to leave.

"Nah." Sun held up a finger. "I'm going to need your help putting my cape together. I also noticed that Ty Lee's drags a little and it needs to be hemmed."

Ty Lee stood up and turned away. "I don't need her help." She replied frostily.

Katara huffed, turning her nose up. "Why don't you just _burn_ it to the right length?"

Sun snapped his fingers, the loud crack echoing through the air, making the girls jump and Appa step back in surprise, lowing at the blond. "Ty Lee, take off your damn cape and sit down. Katara, sit down and hem the damn cape. Appa," His voice went from firm to apologetic. "Sorry for startling you, buddy."

Both girls sat on either side of him, refusing to meet the other's eyes. Katara yanked the pink cape away, pulling her needle and thread out with violent gestures.

Sun Waterbent his cape out of the cauldron, setting it on a nearby hook with the strips of cloth, before gathering the hot water into a ball and hurling it over the treeline and into the distance. "Here's what's going to happen, girls." He started, bending air from his palms to dry his cape. "One is going to say something nice about the other, and the other will say something nice back. Then, once you've both calmed down, we will hash out whatever issues you two have."

Neither said a thing, resolutely facing away from each other. After ten minutes, Sun sighed. "Katara, your hair is looking lovely today. Ty Lee, your outfit really suits you." He gave them meaningful glances. "It's that easy."

There was a tense silence, before Ty Lee finally sagged, her shoulders drooping. "I really do like your hair loopies." She muttered, looking away.

Katara sighed. "Thanks. I like your braid."

"Thanks. Your clothes are really nice."

"Yours too. Your acrobatics are impressive."

"I trained really hard, thanks. The Waterbending thing is cool."

"Airbending is pretty cool too."

"I know, right? Um, I like your cooking."

Katara blinked and looked up in surprise, meeting Ty Lee's eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah," The acrobat replied with a shrug, smiling sheepishly. "I can only really cook sweet stuff, like tarts."

Sun shook his head, laughing at an old memory. "Only because Mai insisted." He added with a smile.

Ty Lee giggled. "Yeah, you'd think she was the princess instead of Azula when it came to tarts."

"I can teach you, if you'd like." The Waterbender offered tentatively. "I mean, I know how to make stews and soups and things like that."

"Really, you'd teach me?" The acrobat asked with happy surprise.

"Of course!" Katara insisted. "I mean, you're going to be with us for a long time, right? It'll be nice to have someone to help make the meals." Sun gave her an offended look. "I know you help, Sun, but we can't have girl talk."

"That would be really nice." Ty Lee replied with a smile. "I could teach you acupuncture, if you want."

"That would be really useful, thanks." The two girls smiled at each other, the air clearing up between them.

"See?" Sun asked, gesturing to the two. "You two get along just fine. Why is there a problem?"

Katara sighed, looking away, dropping her needle and thread in her lap. "I don't hate you, Ty Lee, I just…my whole life, I've been told the Fire Nation was full of bad people who wanted to burn the world. And then…"

She slumped on herself, and Ty Lee reached out to touch her shoulder. "You don't have to say it if you don't want to." She offered as Sun knelt behind Katara and wrapped an arm around her.

"No, it's okay." The Waterbender replied, taking a deep breath. "When I was little, a Fire Nation raiding party hit our home. They…they took my mom from me…"

Ty Lee gasped in horror, moving over and hugging Katara with Sun. "Why would they do such a thing?" She asked in low voice.

"They were looking for Waterbenders." Katara admitted, sniffing sadly. "My mom told the leader that she was last one in the South Pole…she sacrificed herself for me."

The two Fire Nation-born simply held her quietly, comforting her with their presence. "I can see why you don't like us." Ty Lee finally said sadly. "I would hate us too, if that happened to me."

They sat in quiet contemplation, until the acrobat felt it was appropriate to sure. "You know, I have six sisters." She told Katara.

The tribal looked up in surprise. "Really? That…seems like a lot."

"Tell me about it." She replied dryly. "We all look alike, too. A matched set. I ran away and joined the circus so that I could be myself, not just one more sister out seven."

Katara sighed, wiping her face. "I'm sorry I called you evil." She apologized, looking contrite. "I know you're not like the Fire Nation soldiers who took my mother away."

"I'm sorry I said your aura was hideous." Ty Lee said right back. "It's actually a really deep blue color."

"And I'm sorry I said you were a ditz." Katara replied.

The acrobat tilted her head in confusion. "But I _am_ a ditz."

Sun smiled at the two, happy they had made inroads towards friendship. "I'm glad you guys are getting along." He said honestly. Stepping away, he pulled what would become his new cloak off the hook, along with the strips. "Now, can you help me with this?"

He settled now-softer cloth in his lap. "I already cut it to the right length, I just need to fold the edges in and sew the loops in." Sun explained, folding the cloth.

"What are the loops for?" Ty Lee asked curiously.

"Well, I slip my arms through them and pull the cape taut so that I can fly."

…

Several hours later, the sun had begun to set. It looked like another night of suspense for the village.

In a small room in the largest building, Aang's sleeping body sat cross-legged with his glider on his lap. The old man who had led the group there was gently poking the boy, an old woman standing next to him. "Are you sure he's not dead?" She asked quietly.

"His chest is moving." The man noted.

Aang suddenly stiffened, his eyes snapping open, making the couple stumble back. He stood, stretching his sore muscles and walked out of the building, finding Katara sitting on the steps, looking at the sunset with worry. "Aang!" She called out upon noticing him, giving him a short hug. "Where's Sokka?"

He sighed despondently. "I don't know."

Later, he and Sun waited at the hole, his new white cape flapping in the gentle breeze. As the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the large, monstrous figure of Hei-Bai emerged from the trees, growling with rage.

Sun twirled his staff, the golden weapon glinting in the low light, and sprang forward, bobbing under a blow from the spirit, jabbing the tip into its stomach and rolling away before it could retaliate.

Aang conjured a ball of swirling air together, spinning to gather more momentum before sending it rolling along the ground, exploding into a dust cloud under the Spirit. Sun dodged out of the cloud, his staff extending as he swung it, knocking the spirit's hind legs up. As it collapsed, the blond rebounded off of Hei-Bai's shoulders and flipping around to use his staff to sweep the forelegs off the ground, causing the spirit to hit the ground.

Landing slightly away from it's head, Sun took two steps forward and placed his hand on the beast's' forehead, yellow light shining from the point of contact. "Now, what has made you so angry, friend?" He whispered, his eyes shining like miniature suns.

Flashes of memory not his own filled his head, showing a raging fire consuming all in its path. Just before the flames, there stood a feminine figure, pointing her fists at the ground and burning the green away with a concentrated yellow flame.

It flashed again, following the dark-shrouded woman as she walked through the trees, entering the village through the gate. The memory of implacable rage and a bestial roar echoed through Sun's head.

"Oh, my friend," Sun whispered sadly. "That's not what happened. Here, look."

A foreign presence, amazingly large and incomprehensible, brushed against his mind as he pushed his memories of the day before to the forefront, showing Hei-Bai what he had deduced.

When the presence withdrew, Hei-Bai bellowed again, this time in agonizing sadness. Sun withdrew his hand, stepping back as Aang joined him. "What did you see?" The Avatar asked in a hushed voice, his eyes on the wailing spirit.

"He saw the Firebender, a woman pre-burning around the fire and thought that she was the one who started it." He explained sadly. "I showed him what I found out, and now he's sad. The trees that were burned down, they were his friends; and innocent people have suffered because of his rage."

Aang looked down, his face pensive, wondering what he could do to help. Suddenly, his hand touched something smooth in his pocket, and he pulled the object out, his eyes widening when saw the acorn Sun had given him earlier. Stepping forward, he spoke up. "Hei-Bai, you're sad that your home was burned down; when I first saw it, I was sad too. But a friend of mine gave me this, and he said, 'Don't think of it as end, as if the forest won't recover. The grass will shoot through the ash, and new trees will spread their leaves to the sun, one day. Time heals all wounds.'"

Aang presented the acorn to the spirit. "His words gave me hope that, one day, the forest will be vibrant and full of life again."

Hei-Bai studied the proffered nut with interest, slowly reaching out and taking it from Aang. In a subdued flash of light, the monstrous form disappeared, replaced by that of large, placid panda bear. It sniffed at them, before turning around and lumbering away, disappearing into a thicket of bamboo trees that grew man-sized in an instant.

A murmur of confused voices echoed from the thicket, before the forms of the missing villagers, and Sokka, emerged from within, looking confused.

"Sokka!" Katara cried out in joy, rushing forward to hug her brother.

He blinked in confusion, looking down at his sister. "I'm confused," He muttered, scratching his head. "What happened?"

"You were kidnapped by a forest spirit and held in the Spirit world for twenty-four hours." She replied. "How do you feel?"

Sokka grimaced, stepping away from Katara. "Like I really need to use the bathroom!"

After the missing villagers finished greeting one another, the leader approached them with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Avatar and friend. If there is anything we can do to help you on your journey, just ask."

"Well, we could use some supplies." Sokka replied bluntly. "We kind of need food. And maybe money."

"Sokka!" Katara elbowed her brother in embarrassment, her face red.

"Of course!" The leader said happily, waving at a few villagers to go get some supplies for their new heroes. "It would be an honor to help."

Sun laid a hand on Aang's shoulder. "I'm glad you managed to calm Hei-Bai down, Aang. You did a good thing today."

The young Avatar smiled brightly up at his guide. "I had a lot help, Sun. Though, there is something else…"

"Does it have anything to do with what you saw in the Spirit World?" The blond asked shrewdly.

Aang nodded, his face serious as the others gathered around them. "I've found a way to talk to Roku's spirit." He announced.

"Yay!" Ty Lee cheered, before grimacing. "Ew. I mean, 'yay', but also 'ew' at the same time."

"What's the problem?" Katara asked, noticing the tension around Aang.

"It's in a temple on a crescent-shaped island. That island is in the Fire Nation." He proclaimed, to shocked looks from the Tribals.

…

…

 **To Be Continued…**

…

 **In One More Line Break…**

…

"Oh, the Temple of the Fire Sages?" Sun clarified, nodding his head. "That's right on the edge of Fire Nation territory, but it'll be well-guarded after our visit to the Southern Air Temple, so we should get going soon."

"What?!" Sokka and Katara shouted in disbelief. "You actually think he should go?"

"Of course." Sun replied with a nonplussed look. "He needs to meet with the previous Avatar, which is obviously very important. And he's not going alone."

"Yes, I am." Aang cut in, still looking serious. "It's going to be very dangerous. I don't think I could forgive myself if any of you get hurt."

Katara stepped up next to him, grabbing his shoulder. "Aang, don't go. The world can't afford to lose the Avatar…and neither can we."

The young monk shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you."

"Aang," Sun spoke up. "I am your guide. Where you go, I go. How can I teach you of you're captured by the Fire Nation? What about Ty Lee? You still have Airbending you need to teach us. What about Katara? How is she going to get to the North Pole?" He pointed at her with a sadly concerned visage.

Aang bowed his head in resignation. "Alright, I'll let you come." He muttered. "No need to guilt-trip me."

"Apparently there is." The blond bender shot back. "We're following you, Aang. We kind of signed up for danger."

The Avatar shook his head, an unbidden smile curling his lips. "Alright. Then let's get going." He whistled for Appa, glad to not have to go alone, for it was dangerous.

The chief approached them, carrying a few parcels of supplies. "I couldn't help but overhear that you're going to Crescent Island." He said, handing the packages over. "It's a long flight from here; you should leave immediately if you want to make it by sun-down tomorrow."

Aang bowed as Appa landed next to him. "Thank you for-"

"Go!" The chief insisted, pointing at the sky.

Aang jumped up on Appa's head, flicking the reins and calling, "Yip-yip!"

The sky-bison flew into the sky, disappearing into the light of the full moon.

…

Several hours later, Sun awoke from his rest, carefully pulling himself from Ty Lee's arms and climbing over the sleeping forms of Katara and Sokka, tapping a sleepy Aang on the shoulder, relieving him of the reins.

Aang yawned widely, slipping past him to settle in the saddle, immediately falling into a dreamless sleep.

Sun patted Appa's head, running his fingers through the thick fur. "You alright, buddy?" He asked lowly. "We can stop for awhile if you need to rest."

Appa gave a quiet, negative bellow.

"Alright, just let me know if you get too tired." He replied, making minute adjustments with the reins.

For hours, the only sounds he heard was the air rushing through his hair, and the nearly-inaudible grunts of the sky-bison beneath him. As he rode, the sky became lighter as the sun came near the horizon.

After awhile, he felt a light touch on his shoulder. Turning, he found Ty Lee sitting behind him, her visage discomfited. "Morning. How do you feel?" He asked quietly.

"Concerned." She replied shortly, wrapping her arms around his torso, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I just left the Fire Nation…and we're already going back."

He let go of the reins to take her hand, interlacing their fingers. "We won't be there long, Ty." Naruto whispered softly. "Just enough so that Aang can meet Roku, and then we're out of there. Nothing will happen to us."

She sighed into his neck, her warm breath washing over her skin. "I know, but…I still worry. What if they get their hands on us? It's so frightening, I can't even imagine it." She murmured.

"It won't happen, Ty Lee, I promise." Naruto swore, gripping her hand tightly, turning his head to look her in the eye.

"You promise?" She asked in a low voice, her grey eyes soft.

"Yes." He said seriously. "And you remember what I said about promises, right?"

Ty Lee smiled lightly. "That you always keep them." She answered, her empty hand coming up to cup his cheek. "I'll hold you to that." She whispered, leaning in as he did, their lips touching in a soft, passionate kiss, filled with a promise of safety and the future.

They separated and Ty Lee put her head on his shoulder, Naruto leaning his head against hers.

Even later, the sun had climbed high in the sky and Aang was back at the reins. Everyone was fully awake and tense as they drew closer to the Fire Nation. Down and behind them, a small Fire Nation ship cut through the water, two figures at the prow.

Uncle Iroh was twisting his beard in concern, his face expressing frustration. "Sailing into Fire Nation waters…of all the foolish things to do, nephew, this overtakes them all."

"There is no other option, Uncle." Zuko replied tersely, his unscarred eye peering through a looking glass, searching through the skies. After a rather interesting conflict with some Earth Kingdom soldiers capturing Uncle, where the two of them overpowered the captors, a search through their bags for intelligence uncovered recent reports, not even two days old, about a town nearby. The town's leader had pleaded with the soldiers to send relief, as they were suffering nightly attacks by some sort of monstrous spirit.

Knowing that the Avatar would be drawn by the spiritual conflict, the two royal Firebenders traveled to the village, only to find that their quarry had already left. After 'persuading' the leader, they discovered that they had left earlier that night, heading to the Temple of the Fire Sages.

"What if you're caught?" Uncle asked with angered worry. "Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you?"

"My father will understand." Zuko replied firmly. "I'm chasing the Avatar into our home. He'll understand."

The older man shook his head in disappointment at his family. Whether it was directed at his nephew or his brother, only he truly knew. "I fear you overestimate how 'understanding' my brother can truly be." He murmured sadly.

Ignoring him, the banished prince searched through the sky, his eyes finding a familiar shape in the cloudless sky. "Found you." He whispered to himself, before turning to helm and shouting. "Full steam ahead!"

In the saddle, Sokka looked back, seeing a column of smoke rising behind them. Following it down, he tapped his sister on the shoulder and pointed at the ship gaining on their position. "Aang! We've got company!" Katara called over her shoulder.

"And it's gaining on us!" Her brother added.

Sun slid over to the back, peering over the saddle at the small ship in the water. "And they're preparing to fire." He noted, standing up and taking a deep breath.

A ball of fire lit up on the deck and was launched through the air. As it screamed towards them, Sun spun his arms in front of him, gathering a ball of swirling air between his hands, releasing it with flick of his wrists. The ball flattened and expanded, spinning like a small tornado and meeting the projectile mid-air. It halted the fireball's momentum and spun it in place, extinguishing the fire before fading, dropping the rock into the sea beneath them.

Ty Lee peered over the edge, watching as it splashed into the water. "What was that?" She asked with wonder.

"Air shield!" Naruto replied quickly, before spinning around as Sokka shouted.

"Blockade!" He called, pointing at the long line of Fire Nation ships in the water.

Aang banked Appa, trying to avoid giving the ships an easy shot. "This is exactly why I didn't want you guys to come!" He yelled through gritted teeth. "It's too dangerous, and there's no time to fly around!"

"There's no turning back now." Katara stated firmly. "We're with you all the way."

"Yeah! Let's run this blockade!" Sokka shouted.

Sun stood behind Aang on the saddle, preparing to defend them. "Focus on flying, Aang, I'll keep their shots away."

Seconds after he said that, fireballs were launched from the blockade, trailing tails of thick black smoke. Appa weaved through the onslaught, dodging around flaming shots the crackled through the air.

One shot was aimed accurately, heading straight towards the sky-bison as he swerved in the air. Sun cocked an arm back, his hand open with his fingers curled, a ball bright yellow flame flaring to life in his palm, shooting it at the fireball.

The smaller flame penetrated the shot and exploded, clearing it out for Appa. Sun launched more attacks at the nearing shots, blasting them out of the way with precision fireballs.

With one final dive, the gang flew over the ships and out of firing range, disappearing into the sky. "Whoo!" Aang cheered, throwing his hands up. "We made it! Good job, Appa."

Sun sat back down in the saddle, sighing lightly. "Well, now we just have to get to the island. Glad we got through that safely."

Ty Lee flopped down with him. "Me too. How far is it to the temple?" She asked Aang.

The young monk shrugged, relaxing on Appa's head. "I don't know, but it shouldn't be long."

…

He was very wrong, as it turned out. After several more hours of flying, Aang spotted a thick column of smoke rising from the center of small island, coming from an active volcano. "There it is!" He called, waking the others from their short nap.

Appa, drooping with exhaustion from flying for nearly an entire day, barely let the riders off before groaning tiredly and falling onto his side, panting heavily.

"Nice flying, buddy." Sun said to the tired bison, rubbing his exposed belly. "Take it easy."

Ascending the rough mountainside, furtively glancing around for a ambush, the gang made their way to the Fire Sage's temple, carefully avoiding the small lava flows dotting the surface.

"It looks like no one's here." Sokka pointed out quietly.

"Maybe the Fire Nation abandoned it after Roku died?" Katara offered hopefully.

Ty Lee pulled her cape around her, her grey eyes constantly darting about. "One can only hope." She muttered to herself.

The temple itself was surrounded by a low wall that was easily scaled by the gang, and the expansive halls were silent and echoed with their footsteps, giving the place an abandoned atmosphere.

That notion immediately died as the gang stepped into the center of the temple, finding the way forward blocked by five elderly men clad in the garb of Fire Sages.

"We are the Fire Sages." The eldest one spoke, stepping forward with a solemn face. "Guardians of the Temple of the Avatar."

Aang smiled gratefully. "Oh, good! I'm the Avatar." He introduced himself.

"We know." The oldest confirmed, falling into a Firebending stance and launching a trio of fireballs at the group.

Aang, reacting quickly, spun his staff and created a quick wall of air, deflecting the technique away. "I'll hold them off, run!" He shouted, ducking low and swing his leg out. A wave of air ripped over the ground, sweeping the legs out from underneath the Sages.

Sun darted into a hall on the right, the others following him. "Every Temple has a secret path to the Sanctuary, in case of emergencies!" He called out, skidding to a stop at sconce. Peering at the base, he found it to have four oval rubies inset into the base, with the left-most gem sharpened to a point. "This way!"

Stopping every so often, Sun followed the directions given by the gems, leading them down a dead end. "Oh, this a really great 'secret path in case of emergencies'!" Sokka said sarcastically. "Go down a dead end, they'll never suspect that!"

Sun was inspecting one of the sconces near the dead end when Aang came sliding around the corridor. "Guys, what are you doing? This way!" He shouted, before speeding off. A second later, he came back around, followed closely by a Fire Sage. "Never mind!"

Aang stopped with the rest of the gang, prepared to fight, but not prepared for the Sage to bow with his head to the floor. "Wait! I don't want to fight you!"

"Yes, because shooting fireballs at someone you don't want to fight is the perfect way to say it." Sun shot back sarcastically.

"I know why you are here." The Sage said, looking up from his position. "You wish to speak to Avatar Roku."

Aang frowned. "…I do."

"I can take you to him." He promised, standing up and grabbing the sconce, twisting it to the side. A small hole in the wall opened up beneath it, and he took deep breath, breathing a short tongue of flame into it. A section of the wall was outlined with fire, before sliding back and revealing a secret door. "Please hurry, there isn't much time."

Giving the Sage suspicious looks, the gang filed into the doorway, the old man following them in and closing the door behind them. "Told you there was a secret passage." The blond bender commented, shooting Sokka a triumphant look.

After descending down several steps, the group found themselves at the very bottom of the temple in a wide cavern, walking over black stone with an exposed vein of magma sluggishly flowing to their right. "Avatar Roku once called this temple his home." The Sage informed them, leading them through the cavern. "He formed these secret passages out of the magma."

"Did you know Roku?" Aang asked curiously.

The old man chuckled kindly. "Oh no, I'm not nearly old enough to have met Avatar Roku in person. My grandfather, however, knew him. Numerous generations of Fire Sages have guarded this place long before me. We all have a strong spiritual connection to this temple."

"Is that connection how you knew I was coming?" The Avatar questioned.

"A few weeks ago, the statue of Avatar Roku did something incredible - its eyes began to glow!" The Sage said with excitement.

Sun tapped his chin in thought. "Hm. That was around the same time Aang went into the Avatar State at the Southern Air Temple."

The Sage nodded. "At that very moment, we knew you had returned."

"Wait a second," Sokka interjected. "If this is the Avatar's temple, why did you guys attack us?"

The old man shook his head sadly, sighing in shame. "Things have changed. Once, the Sages were loyal only to the Avatar. But, after Avatar Roku died, they eagerly awaited the next Avatar…but he never came."

Aang stopped on the steps, looking down shamefully. "They were waiting for me." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "They were waiting for me, and I never even knew."

"They lost hope." The Sage continued. "And when Sozin began the war, the Sages were forced to follow him. I never wanted to serve the Fire Lord, but when I learned you were coming, I knew I had to betray the other Sages."

Aang bowed slightly to the man. "Thank you for helping me…what's your name?"

The Sage looked back over his shoulder, smiling warmly. "My name is Shyu, and it is an honor, Avatar. These stairs should lead us directly to the Sanctuary." He flicked a switch along the wall, a section of the roof flipping open. "Once you are inside, wait for the light to hit Roku's statue, only then will you be able to speak…"

Shyu gasped in shock upon seeing the closed door. "What's wrong?" Katara asked, emerging into the room.

"The Gate! It's closed!" He proclaimed in shock.

The gate was a massive door that took up most of the far wall, with five twisting dragons imposed over the Fire Nation's symbol, their heads emerging from the wall and acting as the lock.

"So? Can't you just open it with fire, like that other door?" Sokka asked.

Sun spoke before the Sage could. "No. This door can only be opened by a fully-realized Avatar or the five Sages with five simultaneous fire blasts…or, in this case, one spiritually powerful Master Firebender." He answered, his face serious.

"You?" Ty Lee asked. "Wouldn't the Sages be spiritually powerful enough?"

"Not in this case, no." The blond replied dryly. "I've been developing a technique that would let me attack multiple people at once, and it should be enough to open these doors…except that I've never made five balls of fire at once."

He breathed deeply, standing in the center of the room, motioning for the others to stand back. His right hand lit up with yellow fire as he waved it over his head, the flames streaming off to form five orbs in the air, flickering above his head. Concentrating, he brought his hand down to the center of his chest, and then Aang sneezed.

Sun glared at the Avatar. "Can you not?" He gritted out. "I need to concentrate!"

Aang smiled sheepishly, rubbing his nose. "Sorry." He whispered guiltily.

Sun sighed harshly before getting back into his stance, fire springing to life in his hand as he slowly swung it over his head, the trail forming into five decent-sized fireballs. Bringing his hand down in front of his chest, the blond bender breathed deeply before pushing forward, streams of fire erupting from the fireballs, channeled into the dragon's mouths.

With a loud click and the grinding of gears, the gate slowly swung open, spilling light and smoke into the room. "Now's your chance, Avatar!" Shyu urged, "Hurry!"

Aang nodded and quickly dashed into the room, the gates swinging shut behind him.

With nothing to do but wait and eventually fight through the Sages to leave, the gang leaned on the nearby pillars. "So, what's the purpose of that technique?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Well, what I wanted to do was create a bunch of powerful fireballs all floating around me," Sun described, using his hands to emulate what he was going for. "Then, when they're all formed, I would take little parts of the fireballs and fire them rapidly."

He mimed quickly punching the air. "But why not just shoot fireballs at them?" The Water Tribe Warrior pointed out. "It seems simpler that way."

Sun shrugged. "It is, and that's the problem. I could see it being useful in some situations, but not a whole bunch. I got the idea from watching Earthbenders; one technique has them pulling a shield of loose rock up in front of them, using it as cover while also shooting pieces out of it to attack. I still have to work out the kinks." He explained, retrieving his staff and setting one end on the floor casually.

The gang came to attention as the sound of booted footsteps echoed through the room. Zuko emerged from behind a pillar on the far side of the room, the fading sunlight casting his face in harsh relief. "You always were inventive, Naruto." He said calmly, his amber eyes landing on Ty Lee. "You even managed to turn Ty Lee traitor."

Ty Lee flinched, stepping back from the accusation. "I, uh…" She stammered, unable to find her voice.

"How could you do this, Ty Lee?" Zuko asked, his hands fisting at his sides. "You're Azula's friend, and you're betraying the Fire Nation."

"Unforeseen circumstances, Zu-Zu." Sun replied dryly. "I doubt you would understand."

The banished prince snorted, gazing at the Sage. "You helped the Avatar. Why?" Behind him, the other Fire Sages entered the room, gazing at their brother in shock.

Shyu stood proud. "It was once the Sages' duty. It is _still_ our duty."

A slow, sarcastic clap echoed through the room as a man, dressed in the armor of a Fire Nation Admiral, slowly strode into the room, eight Firebenders following him. "How moving and heartfelt," He said sarcastically, smiling in sadistic pleasure. "I might even shed a tear."

"Zhao." Zuko growled hatefully, stepping away from the man. "You're too late. The Avatar is already inside the Sanctuary."

The man shrugged carelessly. "He must come out sooner or later; it is of no matter to me exactly when that is." His predatory gaze scanned the room, noting the people in it, his glare finding Zuko and Shyu first. "My, my. Two traitors," He then tilted his head at Sun, "the child spy," And finally turned his attention to Ty Lee, "And the kidnapped Airbender."

Zuko's head snapped up, swiveling to look at Ty Lee in disbelief. "Airbender?" He whispered in shock.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Zhao asked smugly, looking glad to have something else to hang over Zuko's head. "Your little friend there is an Airbender, who was kidnapped by a blond man wearing a white cloak, wielding a golden staff." The Admiral's eyes glittered as he looked between Sun and Ty Lee. "Funny, you don't seem to be 'held under duress', from my point of view."

"That's because I'm not." Ty Lee declared freely, stepping up next to Sun with her arms crossed. "I left on purpose."

Zhao shook his head, chuckling quietly. "Won't General Ran be glad to get his hands on you?"

Naruto walked forward into the middle of the room, swinging his staff up from the relaxed position to rest on his shoulder. "No one will be getting their hands on us." He rebuked mildly, though his eyes were flashing angrily.

"Please," The Admiral asked condescendingly, "Do you really think you can fight off all of us at the same time? Even if you put up a struggle, you'll eventually tire."

Thin streams of lightning arced around Sun's body, his eyes beginning to glow with yellow light. "And what makes you think you'll last that long?" The blond asked dangerously, subtly waving at the others to back off. Not that they needed any warning, they had backed up as soon as Sun began to speak.

Sun held his empty hand up, the yellow lightning traveling up his arm and coalescing in his palm. "Lightning bending." Zhao breathed, and even though his visage showed anxiety, his body language spoke of excitement.

The blond crushed the ball in his hand, the lightning sinking into his body and his glowing with light. Sun flourished his staff as an aura of electricity emanated from his body, releasing a fearsome shout before charging at the gathered Firebenders so fast that he left behind bright, split-second silhouettes of himself imprinted in the air.

He blurred through the armored figures, the crackling of lightning, metallic thuds with impacts on flesh and grunts of pain and exertion singing through the air as Sun beat them down at lightning speed. Zuko, wanting to take advantage of the distraction provided by his friend, snuck around the room and approached the tribals from behind, intending to take at least one of them hostage. _If I can grab one, the Avatar_ will _try to get them back, and I can lay a trap._

He was intercepted by Ty Lee, who jumped in front of him with a determined face. "Don't get in the way, Ty Lee!" He shouted, throwing a weak stream of fire at her, not wanting to hurt her, just move her.

To his surprise, the normally cheerful acrobat frowned and took a stance, forming a thin ball of air in front of her before throwing it in front of her, extinguishing the flames. "I'm won't let you hurt my friends, Zuko!" She stated firmly, darting forward, under his swing and rapidly tapping three areas on his chest.

Zuko stumbled back at the sudden feeling of pressure inside of his body, his arms falling limp. "What?" He gasped, looking up at her in shock. "What did you do to me?"

Ty Lee didn't answer verbally, throwing her hand out and bending air at Zuko, sending him crashing into one of the pillars.

Sun stopped in front of Zhao, the other Firebenders and Sages lying unconscious on the ground around him. Zhao glanced at the bodies, his shaking eyes and sweaty face betraying his fear.

"No one threatens my friends." The blond whispered menacingly, before jabbing the Admiral in the side of the head with his staff, knocking him out. Panting lightly, Sun wiped his face with his arm, turning as the Sanctuary doors swung open.

Smoke and light poured forth, but instead of Aang stepping out, it was the ghostly form of Avatar Roku, tall and stately with his neat white hair and tailored robes. "It seems we meet once again, young Guardian." He greeted the blond with a small smile.

Sun bowed deeply, surprising the others. "Avatar Roku." He said respectfully.

"Now, now, what did I tell you to call me?" The ghost asked with an amused shake of his head.

"… Grampa Ro." Sun answered with no small amount of embarrassment.

"There you go." The dead Avatar said. "Now, I am going to sink this temple in the island's volcano. Leaving now would be wise."

"Not without Aang!" Katara immediately protested, even as Shyu tugged on her arm.

Turning to the Sage, Roku nodded thankfully. "Thank you for leading Aang here, Shyu."

The elderly Sage bowed deeply. "I am honored to serve the Avatar."

Roku nodded, his eyes beginning to glow. With the raising of his hands, the island began to shake and the floor cracked, the angry red of magma shining from below. The shaking roused the Firebenders, and Zuko took the chance to escape, his arms mostly immobile.

With a flick of his wrist, Roku shattered the wall closest to the gang as the Firebenders evacuated and temple began to sink into the overflowing lava. With a small nod to the blond, the smoke around the former Avatar was pulled in, hiding his form from sight. A second later, it dispelled, revealing a tired Aang.

Quickly hefting the young monk onto his shoulders, Sun led the others out of the temple, shortly cresting the hill of the island. He let out a sharp whistle, calling for Appa. Aang recovered from his exertions a few seconds later as the sky-bison swooped down to land nearby. "You should come with us, Shyu." He said to the elderly Sage.

With a smile, the old Firebender shook his head. "A journey as harrowing as yours, young Avatar, is not for an old man such as myself. I would only be a hindrance. However, I foresaw the day I would have to betray my fellows, and I prepared accordingly." He clasped his hands in Fire Nation style and bowed deeply. "It has been an honor, but here is where we must part."

The gang bowed back, and Aang waved goodbye. "Thanks for the help! Good luck!" He called as they clambered onto Appa.

With a flick of the reigns and "Yip yip!" the sky-bison took to the air, flying away from the erupting volcano.

As they relaxed in the saddle, Sun turned to Aang. "So, what did you learn from Roku?" He asked curiously.

Aang blanched quietly, looking away. "I'd rather not talk about it right now." He muttered, hanging his head.

The blond arched an eyebrow, but acquiesced. "You'll have to tell us sometime, but I won't pry." he kicked back, resting his head on his arms.

Sokka glanced at the blond, his expression confused. "…Grampa Ro?" He asked in disbelief.

Sun immediately blushed. "He wanted me to call him that, okay? He liked giving people nicknames."

Katara shared a devious smile with Ty Lee. "What nickname did he give you?" She asked.

"…" The blond bender pulled his hood over his face, hiding the embarrassment he felt. "…Sunbeam." He finally admitted in a small voice.

The others rolled in the saddle, laughing loudly. Ty Lee draped herself over Sun's stomach, giggling helplessly. "Sunbeam!" She gasped in mirth. "It's so cute!"

"I was eight!" He protested, his lips curling even through his embarrassment.

Katara, clutching her stomach, managed to get out, "Whatever you say…Sunbeam!" And then fell over in paroxysms of laughter.

Sun sighed and shook his head, but joined them in laughing a second later.

…

…

…

…

 **A/N: Holy shit, that's a long chapter.**

 **Kuro: No kidding...there's like 12k words here.**

 **I could've easily split this and had two decent chapters, but I wanted to get the two Winter Solstice episodes out of the way quickly. That way, we can move on.**

 **So far, the story has followed canon pretty closely with some changes, but that's only because I want to establish the difference Naruto is making in the beginning. A little later, more things will change.**

 **And now for some explanations:**

 **It's Naruto, he pranks people. But not to the point that it's dangerous, though. And there's some tension between Ty Lee and Katara, like there would be between people on two sides of a war in real life, like Americans and the Japanese in WWII. That was a pretty shitty time for my people. But, I don't like drawing out conflicts between people, so they have to sit down and hash it out, setting the foundations for a future friendship.**

 **I'm not bashing Katara either. We saw in canon that when she deals with personalities not like her own, (i.e. Toph), friction builds and sparks start flying. It's only natural in stressful situations like theirs.**

 **And since Sun is there, he can teach Aang about how to deal with Spirits. Aang, this being his first time, messes up pretty quickly. It's natural.**

 **And since Naruto dyed his white cape red a chapter ago, he can't just wash it out, so he gives his cape/cloak to Ty Lee, since it's her favorite color and she needs a way to fly as well. Plus, it goes with her outfit.**

 **So, here's the down-low on Naruto's skills. The only discipline he could be called a 'Master' in would be his Firebending, which, instead of being Northern Shaolin Kung-fu, is more Tiger Style with open hands and crooked fingers, with sweeping kicks, punches and things like that. It's more versatile than regular Firebending, as it mixes it with Airbending for defense as opposed to the all-offence of Northern Shaolin.**

 **It's how Naruto is. The established styles don't precisely fit him, so he mixes and makes his own. His Firebending is a mix of Firebending and Airbending (which is why his flames are so powerful); his Waterbending is more like Earthbending, and his Earthbending is more like Firebending. It's just how he is. His Airbending is a total mishmash of random moves he feels would work and improvised attacks, like the ball of air that resembles the Rasengan.**

 **Also, Lightning Bending. Visually, it's similar to the Raikage's Lightning Armor, but acts more like Ryu Hayabusa's charged attacks in the Ninja Gaiden games. It's also yellow, not blue. It takes a bit to charge, but it can clear a room in seconds.**

 **Also, Ty Lee is growing into her role as an Airbender.**

 **So, that was the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and this long-ass Author's note. Big shout-out to Kurogane7 for editing the shit out of this monster document (32 pages!). Why not pop over to his page and read his work, eh?**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: The review system is fucking up for some reason. I get the reviews and I can read them in my email, but they don't show up on the page. It's annoying as all hell, but I do get your reviews, so keep giving them.**

 **Also, I started class again! Biopsychology and Math! Yaaaaaaaaaafuck me. At least Biopsychology looks interesting.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	10. The Lack Of Problems with Pirates

Appa sailed leisurely through the air, the dappled sunlight playing over his fur and the people on his back. Aang was pacing in the saddle, muttering incomprehensibly under his breath, uncaring of the wind tugging at his robes.

"What's eating you, Aang?" Sokka asked from his relaxed pose. "You know if we hit a bump, you'll go flying out of the saddle."

"It's about what Roku said," Aang replied distractedly, rubbing at his arrow. "He said I need to master all four elements before the comet arrives."

Ty Lee pulled herself up, having been hanging upside-down on the edge of the saddle. "Well, you're the Avatar, right? Shouldn't it be easy to master the elements?" She asked curiously. "I mean, you've been the Avatar before, in your past lives."

The Water Tribals looked at her skeptically as Sun set the reins down to face them. "She's right, actually. As soon as the Avatar enters the Avatar State for the first time, the skills from the previous incarnations begin to bleed through to the current one." Sun explained, leaning on the saddle. "Every Avatar seems like a prodigy when it comes to bending, but it's really their former skills getting used to a new body, though most enter the state after mastering their first element."

Aang flopped in the middle with a sigh. "That's all well and good, but it doesn't change the fact that I haven't even started Waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole."

"Don't worry about it, Aang." The blonde bender replied easily. "I can get you started on the basics, and Katara could use the practice. Everybody wins."

The monk perked up. "Really? You'd do that?" He asked excitedly.

Sun shrugged. "Sure. I just need to find a good amount of water."

"I'm sure we can find a puddle to splash in somewhere." Sokka commented dryly as the blond took up the reins.

Within an hour, Sun had found a puddle; if the term 'puddle' was massively misconstrued and actually meant 'huge waterfall'. A low rumble shook through the air as white water pounded the rocks below, pooling below in a wide, deep pool before flowing smoothly out as a river.

"How's that for a puddle?" The blond asked rhetorically with a grin. Appa bellowed happily before belly-flopping in the pool.

"Don't start without me, boy!" Aang whooped, charging towards the water as he tried to pull off his robe. Ty Lee had shucked off her cloak and was working on her slippers when Katara cleared her throat loudly.

"Ahem." She arched an eyebrow at the monk. "Don't forget why we're here."

"Oh, right." Aang smiled sheepishly, stepping away from the water. "How do we start?"

Sun stretched his hands over his head, sighing as his back popped. "Keep your shirt off," He ordered, dropping his armguards to the ground with a pair of loud thuds. "The best way to get a feel for the water is to actually feel the water. So, dunk your head in the water and feel it flow around you."

The monk nodded eagerly and knelt at the water's edge, taking a deep breath before plunging his head into the water. Katara frowned in thought and turned to Sun, her thoughts fleeing as she saw him without a shirt on. She watched him stretch as heat rose in her cheeks, before shaking out of it as Ty Lee dove gracefully into the water. "Uh, Sun? When you were teaching me, you didn't have me stick my head in the water."

"Well yeah, we were in the South Pole, that would be pretty dumb." He replied easily. "And I didn't have you do it because it's not part of the training. I just wanted Aang to stick his head in the water." Sun admitted with a grin.

Katara giggled, trying to keep a straight face. "That's mean." She tried to admonish while smiling, removing her outer clothing.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "You know what they say: 'cooler heads will prevail.'"

The Waterbender snorted, clapping her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. Composing herself, she shook her head. "That was bad."

Sun grinned unrepentantly as Aang surfaced, gasping for air. "That's good enough Aang, come join us. Actually, Ty, Sokka, you should join us as well. The kata are a good way to unwind and exercise, and bending styles aren't exclusive to the bending of one element." He explained as Sokka got up from his spot under the tree and Ty Lee wrung her hair out. "I myself use modified versions of the styles when I bend; like a mix of Airbending and Firebending, or Waterbending and Earthbending."

"Why?" The monk asked curiously.

"Because the meaning behind the stances aren't necessarily how I feel about the elements." The blond bender said simply. He took a Firebending stance, which practically shouted aggression, with a strong base and clenched fists. "I don't think of Fire as destruction and nothing else, as most Firebenders do. I can't really, not after learning from Master Wu." He gestured towards the sun. At their curious looks, he expounded. "The sun is a ball of fire, and without it, the whole world would be cold and dead. So, while it can be destructive, fire also brings life and light. But I've explained this before, so let's get down to Waterbending."

He had them take a loose, easy stance and went about correcting them (with the exception of Katara, who he had already taught), until it was satisfactory. Then, he showed them the basic kata and had them run through it until the motions were somewhat smooth. "Alright, that's good for now. Katara, can you show Aang the basic bending exercise? Ty, I'm going to show you how to fly using your cape."

Both Airbenders perked up and watched intently as their teachers explained the techniques.

Sun pulled his cape back on and stuck his hands through the hidden loops. "This is what you want to do." He said, pulling the cape taut. "Pull it out like this and control the air around you, direct it where you want to fly. You can either try using a running start to catch the wind, or climb to the top of a tree and jump off, either way works."

"Okay, Naruto." Ty Lee nodded, her face scrunched up on concentration as she pulled on her cape. He left her to it and joined Katara and Aang at the water. The monk had his tongue sticking out as he spun his open hand around the surface, trying to create a miniature whirlpool.

"Don't be mad if you don't get it immediately," Katara soothed quietly, "It's really just to get you familiar-"

"Hey, I got it!" The young monk cheered, a little whirlpool spinning merrily in the water.

"Good work." Sun praised while the tribal looked a little disquieted. "Next exercise is to swirl the water into a shoot, like a tentacle. After that, forming that into a ball. Katara, let's exercise while he does that."

The exercise consisted of forming a ball of water and passing it between the two benders. One would catch the ball and bend it behind their back before sending it at the other, who would continue the cycle. This could go on for hours if the benders were so inclined. It was supposed to mirror the push and pull of the tides and build harmony between the two, like the moon and the tides. The next level of the exercise would have the ball of water become a stream, constantly bent around the two. Katara wasn't ready for it yet; her movements were smooth, but still too practiced to be fully natural, though she was getting there.

"You looked unhappy when Aang Watebent." Sun noted as they passed the ball.

Katara flushed slightly. "Oh, you noticed that…" She muttered, her movement stuttering.

"Were you jealous?" He asked bluntly.

The tribal started, the ball of water splashing to the ground. "Wha - how did you know?" She stammered.

Sun shrugged simply, bending another ball from the pool and passing it to her. "I've got an eye for emotions like that. But remember what I said earlier. Aang _is_ a natural at bending, he needs to be; so don't be envious and remember, _you_ got that exercise down in a few minutes when it took me hours." He admonished gently.

Katara sighed, flowing through the motions to send the ball back to him. "I know I shouldn't be, but I guess I felt that Waterbending was _my_ thing, even though I know there's a whole tribe full of them out there." She shrugged. "It's just something I'll have to get used to."

"That's a very mature outlook." Sun complimented with a warm grin, getting a smile from the girl. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Aang using Waterbending to play with a stream of water. "Hold on to that." He pulled some water away from the orb and spread it out, turning it into snow, before compacting it into a ball. "It's not a pie, but it'll work." Sun muttered, before chucking it at the back of the Avatar's head.

Aang yelped in shock and tumbled into the water, surfacing with a splutter. "Sun!" He shouted, "What'd you do that for?!"

"Just because you got it down quickly doesn't mean you can slack off!" The blond bender replied with a grin, tossing another snowball in his hand.

The monk narrowed his eyes in challenge, drawing his arms back and over his head, summoning a wall of water that he sent at Sun. "How's that for slacking off?" He called mischievously.

Sun dropped his snowball as Katara balked, jumping forward and throwing his arms out, creating a wide funnel of wind that slammed into the wall of water, scattering it into the sky as mist, before he gracefully dragged his arms around him and spun his hands, taking the mist and forming it into a miniature raincloud…which proceeded to rain on Aang. And only Aang.

Katara and Sokka fell over themselves laughing as Aang stood in the knee-high water with a dry look, a fluffy white cloud hovering and merrily pouring water on him. Sun grinned unrepentantly and stuck his thumb on his nose, wiggling his fingers at the monk, who joined the others in laughing.

They were cut off by a sudden girlish scream as Ty Lee burst through the cloud and splashed into the water. She popped up with a wide smile. "I think I'm getting the hang of flying, Naruto!" She called enthusiastically, before her face went slack in horror. "Oh no! I killed a cloud!"

…

After reassuring Ty Lee by telling her that the cloud was about to die anyway and that her actions were actually helpful and it was doubtful the cloud felt anything when she plowed through it, they continued to practice while Sokka gave Appa a cleaning and discovered that they were running low on supplies.

The gang found a port town nearby that, while a little shady and rough around the edges, had all they needed to buy and more. They had split up, with Aang and Sokka going out to find interesting knick-knacks as Sun, Katara and Ty Lee sought out a messenger service, where the acrobat and her childhood friend had written a few letters and stored them to be sent off later.

After they had finished, they walked along the docks to find Sokka and Aang talking to a lean, ratty man outside of a ship. "Hey guys!" The monk waved them over. "These guys curios! And that sounds really interesting, even though I don't know what 'curio' means!"

"Interesting knick-knacks." Sun explained dryly.

"Yup, we've got those too!" The barker smiled cheerfully, his grin showing several missing teeth. He herded them into the hold of the ship, which was stuffed to the brim with random and exotic curios. The group split up to look at all and sundry, Sun being drawn to a shelf the held small accessories.

He examined an orange hair tie that was decorated with a blooming Agni's bloom, thinking of Ty Lee still missing one of her hair ties. His eye was drawn to a pair of lacquered chopsticks with cobalt moon-tulips on them, and a fire-lily hair pin that made him think of Mai and Azula. Sun's mood dropped a little as he stared at the small pieces. _I miss my friends._ He thought sadly, running his thumb over the piece in his hand. _I miss the time we spent together._

An arm thrown over his shoulder pulled the blond from his thoughts. "Oh-ho, eyeing these lovely pieces, I see!" The ratty barker said. "Looking for a gift for one of you 'lady friends', eh?" He asked like a confidant, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Basically." Sun answered. "How much for this?" He held up the Agni's bloom hair tie.

"Well, since I like your style, I'll sell it to you for thirty silver pieces." The man replied confidently.

Sun resisted the urge to look surprised. _This is made with actual citrine, and the others with real sapphires and fire opals. It's likely this guy doesn't know their true value._ "You throw in these two, and I'll pay you a gold piece." He counter-offered, scooping up the hair sticks and the pin.

"Deal!" The barker exclaimed enthusiastically, shaking his hand to seal the sale. "Anything else catch your eye?"

The blond stiffened for a second, a cold tingling washing up his spine. "Actually…do you have any lotus Pai Sho tiles?"

The barker, after biting the gold piece to make sure it was real, rolled his eyes up in thought. "I think we do…hold on." He looked behind the counter, rattling boxes and jars. "Aha! One lotus tile. One silver piece."

Sun handed the man his money and took the tile, peering at it curiously as it sat innocently in his palm. _Why did I suddenly want to buy this?_ He wondered, before shrugging and pocketing the item with the rest of his purchases and wandering over to see what Katara and Aang were talking about. "A Waterbending scroll?" He asked.

"Yeah, look at all these crazy moves!" Aang said excitedly, nearly hopping in place.

Sun looked closer. "These are all basic moves." He stated with a shrug. "First tier, even. I'll be teaching you these once you get the exercises down."

"Oh." The monk drooped. "That's fine." He rolled it back up and set it on the shelf, looking up as a large older man in wide-brimmed hat with iguana-parrot on his shoulder frowned at them.

"You sure those are basic?" The Captain of the ship asked.

"Pretty sure, yeah." The blond replied easily.

"Huh." The captain hummed thoughtfully, before shrugging. "Oh well! Still got a good price for it."

Katara ended up buying a bracelet that looked to be made of the same material of her necklace, while her brother traded his simple machete and a handful of silver pieces for one made of blue and silver metal (which also matched his outfit, but no one pointed that out), and Aang bought an old wooden medallion that was worn with age, and he went silent as soon as he saw it. Ty Lee had purchased a light orange scarf that bore only a passing resemblance to Naruto's and if it looked exactly like his that was purely coincidental and _nothing else_ , thank you very much.

Purchases bagged and payments paid, the group bid the high-risk traders goodbye and set off to find Appa, who was waiting outside of town. Sun split off to send his gifts to Azula and Mai, and as he was leaving the shop, he paused in shock upon seeing the backs of Zuko and Uncle.

The banished prince had his arms crossed and was looking away from Uncle, obviously scowling and tapping his foot impatiently. Uncle, on the other hand, was peering at every stall and worrying his fingers. Sun followed them stealthily as they walked through the market, Zuko complaining every few minutes while the older Firebender seemed to get more stressed as time went by. He had to bite his fist to stop from laughing out loud as Zuko acted like a pouting child and Uncle like a worried parent.

When they reached the pier area, Sun detached from the shadows and approached them from behind. "Ahem." He cleared his throat, grinning as Zuko jumped and spun around. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Naruto!" Zuko shouted, taking a hostile stance. "If you're here, the Avatar must be here, too. You must lead me to him!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Zu-Zu," he muttered amusedly. "I'm not going to do that."

The banished prince narrowed his eyes. "If you won't do it willingly, I'll have to force you." He growled out. "And _don't_ call me 'Zu-Zu'!" He didn't notice Uncle stepping away from him.

"Don't blink." Naruto replied, before hitting Zuko in the face with handful of glitter. As he sputtered and coughed, the blond reached out and gave him an Airbending-enhanced flick, sending him flying into the water. "How have you been, Uncle?"

The older man smiled warmly at the young bender he considered a second nephew. "I have been well, Naruto. Though Prince Zuko has been pushing the crew to chase after the Avatar, I've enjoyed traveling to all these new places." He frowned. "Though, I lost my lotus Pai Sho tile today. I've been looking for one all day, but none of these shops have it."

The made Naruto blink in surprise as he pulled the tile he had bought earlier. "You mean-"

"Naruto!" Zuko growled as he pulled himself onto the dock, sopping wet with seaweed clinging to his shoulders. "You little-"

Naruto pushed him back into the water with his foot. "It's rude to interrupt." He turned back to Uncle and held the tile out. "I had the sudden urge to buy this for some reason, and I think it's so I could give it to you."

"Ah, thank you!" Uncle said happily, taking the tile and storing it in his sleeve. "My whole game has been put off without the lotus. Where did you find it, perchance?"

The blond pointed down the docks to the large ship, where the ratty barker was barking. "Down there. I remember seeing a Tsungi horn in there, too."

"Wonderful! Music night on the ship has felt like it was missing something," The Older Firebender remarked thoughtfully. "Now all we need is some woodwinds. And in any case, it was a pleasure to see you again, Naruto."

"Same here, Uncle." Sun replied with a smile. "Take care of Zuko, yeah?"

Uncle nodded in agreement as the prince they were talking about climbed out of the water, nearly apoplectic with rage, growling through clenched teeth. He stepped forward to charge Sun, but was stopped cold, literally, when the blond froze the water dripping off of him.

Problem thus dealt with, Sun bade Iroh goodbye and left the port town quickly as the older man headed for the ship. When Zuko burst from his ice-shell with a yell, he found Uncle stocked up on various goods, including a Tsungi horn and a stone monkey statue with rubies for eyes. "Zuko! Come help your old uncle carry all his merchandise! Music night just became three times as fun!"

The prince quickly scanned the area, finding it to be devoid of blonds and monks. "Where did he go? Why did you let him go?!"

"Ah, I couldn't let such great deals get away from me, nephew!" Uncle replied cheerfully, as if Zuko hadn't just screamed at him. "Now, my old back can't carry all these, come help!"

Zuko shook with fury, releasing a gout of flame from his mouth as he shouted at the sky.

…

Later that night, after having taken to the sky on Appa to leave the banished prince behind, the group found a nice area to camp out for the night. The pot was hanging over the fire, pleasant smells wafting from the top, though Ty Lee was sitting a bit away from them, as she was trying to create the swirling ball of air she'd seen Naruto use, and after the first time she blew out the fire, she realized some distance would be best.

She looked up as Sun plopped down next to her, the half-formed technique dispersing. "Oh, hey Naruto. Dinner ready?"

"Just about." He shrugged, relaxing next to her. "So, while we were in town today, I found something I think you'll like." He withdrew the Agni's bloom hair-tie and held it out.

Ty Lee gasped as she beheld it, taking it gently in her hands as if it were the actual flower. "You…you got this for me?" She asked him with wet eyes.

"I know you felt bad about losing your tie on the prison barge, so I wanted to get you something to cheer you up." The blond said honestly. "Do you like it?"

The acrobat sniffled quietly, tying her braid up with a practiced hand with the flower at the base. Then, she tackled him with a mighty hug. "I love it!"

He laughed at her exuberance, hugging her back. "I'm glad you're happy."

She pulled back for a second before darting forward, pressing her lips to his. "Thank you so much." She murmured, kissing him again.

From her spot by the fire, Katara could barely see what the two were doing, but even with the noise Sokka and Aang were making, she had a good idea. A sudden flare of jealousy made her heart burn, and she loudly cleared her throat. "Dinner's ready!" She announced clearly, feeling some satisfaction at watching them break apart.

As they ate, the Waterbender tried to get her feelings for the sunny blond in order, but found it difficult. She liked Sun, she really did, and she loved the private moments they shared where they talked about whatever came to mind. It was really easy for Katara to talk to him, and she didn't have to mother him like she did Sokka and Aang.

On the other hand, it was obvious that the feelings Ty Lee had for Naruto were returned, if tentatively, and Katara didn't truly know if she had it in her to take the blond for herself and leave the acrobat heartbroken. Either way, someone lost.

When she went to sleep that night, Katara still didn't have an answer.

…

Azula sighed to herself, burning another piece of paper that was covered in artful calligraphy that was a little wobbly in some places. Though she would much rather be outside practicing her Firebending, feeding the turtle-ducks or throwing rocks at the stone dummies they used for target practice; her father would not be pleased if she shirked her calligraphy practice. Her need to be perfect also kept her trapped in her room, practicing the forms and drills over and over again, even though she couldn't help but wonder and worry about Naruto.

She hadn't received a reply, even though her letter had been sent nearly two weeks ago; and while she knew messenger hawks took time to fly, a little part of her mind whispered insidiously in her ear.

The Fire Nation Princess huffed in annoyance as her bedroom door opened, even though she specifically told the servants to leave her alone. She turned to give the idiot interrupting her damned practice a piece of her mind, only to stop upon realizing who had entered.

Mai, her typically placid face troubled, closed the door behind her and unceremoniously flopped on Azula's bed with a loud sigh. "Yes, make yourself at home." Azula snarked from her desk. "Can I get you some tea or a pastry?"

"I got a couple of letters from Naruto." Mai replied, pulling a pair of heavy scrolls from her pockets. "One of them is for you."

Azula had moved across the room before she was even aware of it, snatching the scroll with her name on it from her friend and opening it quickly. She started at the sound of metal hitting stone, looking down to find a well-made fire lily hair pin resting on the floor. She picked it up and admired the fire opals in the sunlight streaming through her window.

"Why haven't you opened yours?" The princess asked curiously upon noticing that Mai was still lying on her bed, looking unhappy.

The placid girl shook her head with a sigh, sitting up and unrolling her scroll, looking surprised at the pair of blue hair-sticks that landed in her lap. Together, the two read their letters, feeling a mixture of sadness, elation and anger. Their letters were similar in that both had an explanation from Naruto, revealing that he had tried to contact them years ago, but without receiving a reply, he had thought they had moved on and had no desire to be friends any longer. He said that when he had met Zuko and discovered that they hadn't received any letters from him, he realized that Fire Lord Ozai must have burned his missives.

The similarities between the letters ended a few lines later, when Naruto told them that he was traveling with the Avatar and ' _Please don't hate me. Things are not as they seem in the Fire Nation.'_ After that, the two ladies found personal messages from the blond, saying how much he missed them and wished to see them again and if they weren't too angry, to write back.

Along with that was a hastily scribbled post-script saying he hoped they liked his gifts. He had seen them and thought of them.

Then, on the other side of letter, the Fire Nationals had received another surprise, written in Ty Lee's looping, girlish scribble. Their long-time friend was not only an Airbender, but traveling with the Avatar to learn the Airbending ways and with Naruto, who was also an Airbender! And a Firebender, Waterbender and Earthbender, but they couldn't decide if they believed that or not. Their acrobatic friend had long had a wild imagination, but if she was telling the truth, then that raised even more questions.

Her letter ended with a brief plea: ' _I also kinda, sorta, told Naruto how I felt and kissed him. I know you said we could share, Azula, but that was years ago and you were lying. Don't be angry please! I couldn't hold myself back, you would have been the same way! And he is soooo handsome now!'_

Azula set her letters aside with conflicting feelings warring inside of her. She was happy that Naruto wanted to communicate, and that both he and Ty Lee were safe, or as safe as they could be traveling with an enemy of the Fire Nation. But the letters seemed fantastical. Ty Lee an Airbender? …Actually, Azula could see that; her acrobatic friend was flighty and free, classic Airbending attitudes. But Naruto being an Airbender? Let alone any other kind, besides a Firebender? It seemed impossible, unless…

…Zuko. That was the answer. He'd fought Naruto before, he would know.

Before Azula stood, she noticed that Mai was once more looking troubled, or as troubled as she could look. Mai had a neutral mask even the princess was jealous of. "Why the long face, Mai? Aren't you happy?"

"I am." She replied shortly, playing with the hair sticks. "I'm glad to hear from Naruto and Ty Lee, but there's something going on. The Army took over an Earth Kingdom, some place called 'O-mushy' or something. They didn't even put up a fight. Anyway, my father's been promoted as the Governor of this town, so we'll be moving there soon."

Azula sighed softly, sitting next to her friend on the bed with her arm around her shoulders. "While we won't be able to spend as much time as we want together, this could be a good thing." At Mai's curious look, she explained. "Zu-Zu hasn't been that successful when it comes to catching the Avatar; and, as we know, Naruto and Ty Lee are traveling with him. And we all know I'm more powerful than my brother."

"You're thinking your father would send you after him?" Mai asked shrewdly.

Azula shrugged, an utterly pedestrian gesture that somehow came across as cultured when she did it. "It's possible, but I think it would take a great failure on _someone's_ part. And I heard a rumor going around that my father hired a bounty hunter to track down the Avatar." She huffed in dry amusement. "Seems he doesn't trust my brother to complete the job."

"Since when has Fire Lord Ozai ever believed in Zuko?" Mai muttered distastefully.

"Speaking of which, did you notice how Ty Lee said that Naruto could bend more than one element?" She asked rhetorically. Of course Mai did. She was very detailed-oriented. "Zuko wrote me a few weeks ago, saying he had fought Naruto, who was Firebending; naturally." He had grown up with a bunch of Firebenders in the home of the Firebenders, of course he was a Firebender. "I'm going to write Zu-Zu and see what he thinks. And another to send to Ty Lee and Naruto. Sit around for a bit while I write them. Apparently the palace mail is being watched, so I need you to send them for me."

"What makes you think I'm going to just sit here playing with my knives while you try and fail to write perfectly?" The placid woman said with knowing smirk. "I have letters I want to write too. And I could get them perfectly written on the first try."

Azula's eyebrow twitched. She hated being reminded of her imperfections. "You can use my calligraphy set to write your letters when I'm done and I'll cover the postage, alright?"

Mai shrugged uncaringly and sprawled out on Azula's bed. "That's fine, Princess. As long as you order a fruit tart."

"Good. And Mai?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

…

The metal of his boots clinked softly against the wooden planks of the pier. Even among the pirate-infested port town, the man in the black and red cloak was given a wide berth. His sulfurous yellow and red eyes and pale skin around them was the only evidence of his face, the rest covered in mask that looked to be made of some sort of leather.

Hawk was on the hunt. His primary targets had been through the port that day, and he would make no more progress with night falling. Thus he had taken a small bounty to sate his appetite.

He stopped outside of a tavern, the yellow light escaping through grimy window panes, joined by rough, raucous laughter. This was the place; his target's favored watering hole. Hawk stepped through the doors and scanned the room with his piercing gaze, his eyes immediately being drawn to the far side of the room where his target sat, laughing and sloppily drinking a mug of grog.

He slipped through the crowded tavern, pushing past the mass of bodies and making way towards his target. The bearded man looked up at the cloaked newcomer with glazed, drunken eyes. "Waddya want, freaky?"

" **Your bounty."** Hawk answered simply.

The tone among the group instantly changed, the air filling with tension. "You must have some kinda nerve, walking up to me like this." The pirate sneered. "Do you even know what kind of trouble you're in?"

The hunter shrugged. " **I don't particularly care. The contract says 'Dead or Alive'. It's up to you which one it is."** He replied bluntly.

A group of pirates around the target stood up, hands grasping weapons, obviously the crew coming to the defense of their captain. "You think you can take on all of my crew?" The captain asked roughly, drawing a wide, curved sword.

" **I know so."** Hawk muttered easily.

"Hey!" The owner shouted from behind the counter. "No fighting in the building! Take it outside!"

The bounty hunter sniffed in irritation, turning his back on the pirate crew and striding towards the door, the crowd parting before him. The crew followed quickly, one carrying a short sword darting forward to stab him in the back.

Hawk spun on his heel, dodging the blade neatly and brought his hand up, three large gashes opening up on the pirate's arm. The pirate dropped to his knees, clutching his arm, only to be kicked in the head. The rest of the crew paused in surprise upon seeing the weapons the hunter wore.

Both hands held a pair of black gauntlets trimmed in gold, three curved foot-long blades extending out from the knuckles and back, resembling a pair of talons. He wore similar weapons on his feet with an angled blade along the ankle and his foot, with another jutting from the top.

He gave them no chance, dashing into the fray with a whirling flurry of blades and blood. Every slash sliced through skin, and wild attacks were dodged and met with steel and focused, piercing yellow eyes.

The captain gasped in fear as the last of his men fell to the ground in a heap, his blood soaking into the dirt. "What the hell-what are you?" He stuttered fearfully.

" **Just a bounty hunter looking for a payday."** Hawk answered simply, sounding completely calm despite the combat and the red staining his clothes. " **All your men are down, though they should survive."**

Behind him, one of the pirates shuddered and vomited a torrent of blood before going still. " **Almost all of them."** He amended. " **Now, are you going to come quietly, or will I have to** _ **make**_ **you?"**

"You-you bastard!" The captain screamed, charging at the bounty hunter with his sword raised.

Hawk rolled his eyes and flicked his wrists, tongues of flame streaming from his hands to wrap around his weapons, leaving the blades glowing from the heat. With one swing, his talons sliced neatly through the pirate's swords, leaving him holding the hilt. Another lazy swipe divested the captain of his hands, the stench of cauterized flesh filling the air.

The captain fell to his knees, gazing in shock at the burnt stumps of his wrists, before Hawk kicked him in the face with the bottom of his foot.

Hawk stored his talons away and grabbed the unconscious pirate by his hair, dragging him along the ground. " **Waste of my time."** He muttered in disgust.

…

…

…

 **A/N: And there you go, Chapter Ten. It took awhile to come out, but I've had classes and homework and other stories and looking for a job and just all that BS. Whew.**

 **So, some of the effects of Naruto being here and come through, such as the pirates. Since Sun is there and he knows Waterbending, Katara doesn't do the dumb thing and steal the Waterbending scroll and they have no problems with the pirates.**

 **And money: Since I've got no idea on how money works, I've gone with the currency system in WoW (and I don't care if it started somewhere, it's where I found it) where a hundred copper equals one silver, and a hundred silver equals one gold. All the Nations use different-looking coins, but with the same rate.**

 **And you saw more of Azula, Mai, and the mysterious Hawk, who I think I showed his character off pretty well. This is to set up for future events concerning all three, as Hawk is still hunting the Avatar and Friends, and Azula and Mai are plotting.**

 **Thanks once again to Kurogane7 for helping edit and whatnot. Why not give his account a look. See what he's got to offer?**

 **Kuro: Another chapter…another battle. Hopefully, we succeeded in delivering consistent quality.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to reading the next, which concerns Jet and his freedom fighters.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S….I can't think of anything. I guess, maybe…read my other stories? Dare to Wander is up for updating next. The Life With Monster Girls is pretty popular, and so is Jinchuriki of the World-Eater and Still No A Hero. My FF12 crossover is…there. Sci-fi, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and slice-of-life, I've got it all!**

 **Except for, you know, all the ones I don't.**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


	11. Those Dam Rebels

The gang had set down in a large clearing in the middle of forested area, taking a break from flying to give Appa some rest and so that they could stretch their legs and avoid 'saddle-butt', as Aang had called it. While they stretched and relaxed, Sun had the monk practicing his Waterbending, by bending a small ball of water around his body that the blond would randomly freeze. If he failed the exercise, Sun would drop the ice down the back of his shirt.

After Aang shrieked in surprise again, Ty Lee, after containing her giggling, noticed that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Momo?" She asked, wondering where the lemur had gone.

As if on cue, a yowling cry echoed through the forest. "That's Momo!" Aang called, scrambling into the forestry. "This way!"

He lead them through the undergrowth to the base of a large tree. Hanging high up in the branches was a trio of metal cages, swinging pitifully in the breeze as animal noises sounded out from inside of them. Aang jumped from tree-to-tree, landing at the top of the branch holding the ropes. He found a metal winch and slowly unwound it, lowering the cage containing Momo to the forest floor.

Sokka pried the metal slats open with his hands and freed the winged lemur, who hopped out and proceeded to feast on the lychee nuts that had ensnared him in the first place. "You're welcome." The warrior muttered, letting the snare close. He noticed Aang slowly climbing to the other winches and decided to get to the point. "That'll take forever."

He whipped his boomerang out and threw it with precision, slicing through both ropes and dropping the cages to forest floor, where they broke open and allowed the hog monkeys that had been trapped to flee.

"These are Fire Nation snares," Sun remarked, poking one with his toe. "And the ones who set them likely aren't far off. Break time's over; let's pack up and get moving again."

"Yeah, alright." Aang sighed, landing softly next to them. "But don't blame me if you get saddle-butt!"

They made it back to the clearing and quickly packed up their gear, but as they began to tie it down to Appa, Sokka interrupted them. "Ah, no more flying."

Ty Lee gave him a questioning eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Think about it," The warrior explained, lightly tugging on Appa's fur. "Somehow, Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us, and it's because of Appa. He's too easy to spot!"

"Appa's not too noticeable!" Aang protested, hugging the bison's head.

"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with arrow on his head." Sokka said dryly.

The Avatar huffed, scratching his friend's head soothingly as he lowed in distress. "Don't worry, buddy, Sokka's just jealous he doesn't have an arrow."

"You're right Sokka, but for the wrong reasons." Sun interjected calmly. "We've been hiding Appa pretty well, and yes he's noticeable; but it's Aang who is even more so. We've tried to disguise him, but the arrow, the staff and the robes are too obvious. And more often than not, we'll end up having to Airbend or introduce Aang as the Avatar."

"Yeah, as far as stealth goes, we haven't exactly been subtle." Ty Lee agreed with a shrug of her shoulders. "We usually move too fast to be pinned down, so it's not a problem."

Sokka crossed his arms and nodded grudgingly. "Alright, so it may be Aang who gets the attention, but we still can't fly. If those Fire Nation trappers are still around, they'll spot Appa before we know where they are. It'll be safer if we walk, and my instincts are telling me we can slip by easier on the ground."

The others looked to Sun, who hummed in thought. "Instincts are important, and if you really feel we should walk, we'll walk." Seeing Sokka nodding, he clapped his hands affirmatively. "Alright then, let's get walking."

Katara sighed and set her pack on her back. "I can already tell this is going to be a long day." She grumbled.

"Cheer up, Katara!" The acrobat said, cartwheeling over to her pack. "Walking could be fun!"

"Like an adventure!" Aang cheered in agreement.

…

A few hour of walking later, Ty Lee threw her hands up in the air. "I was wrong! Walking sucks! Why aren't we flying again?" She complained, wiping her sweaty brow.

"You'd have to ask Sokka's instincts." Katara snarked back, glowering at her brother's back.

"Oh, ha ha." Her brother muttered, brushing the undergrowth aside. Sun had decided to let Sokka lead them through the forest, seeing as they were already following his instincts. "Come on, it's not that bad."

"My back hurts." Aang whined, shifting his pack uncomfortably.

"I can carry that, if you like." Sun offered, looking completely unfazed despite his pack being the heaviest.

"Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts to carry it?" Katara added.

"Come on, guys, I'm tired too, but our safety is more important than our comfort." Sokka tried to explain, pushing through a bush. "This way, we're avoiding the Fire Nation and…trouble."

The group came to a stop as they looked around and realized they had been led into a Fire Nation camp. "You sure about that?" Sun asked sarcastically.

The soldiers, most in the middle of eating lunch, stared at them in surprise. A one-eyed soldier who must have been the leader, given the decorations on his armor, stood up and cried, "Seize them!"

"Run!" Sokka shouted, dropping his pack and bolting away. The others made to follow, but the one-eyed man shot a fistful of flames into the bushes ahead of them, cutting them off.

"Wait." Sun whispered urgently. "Let them circle us, make them think we're helpless. Then, when I say 'quack', hit the ground."

The group gathered back-to-back as most of the soldiers surrounded them, wielding swords or in Firebending stances.

"Why have you attacked us?" The blond asked loudly. "We are simple travelers simply passing through."

"Ha!" The leader laughed. "As if! That white cloak, that sunny hair…you are obviously The White Cloak, a bounty hunter wanted by the Fire Nation! And if you're here, traveling in a group of five…" He pointed at Ty Lee, followed by Aang. "The runaway Airbender…and the Avatar."

"I think they know who we are!" Aang said lowly.

Sun shrugged. "Well, it was worth a shot." Then, he reached into his pocket and loudly said, "Quack!"

The group hit the ground as he pulled his shrunken staff out and spun it over his head, extending it beyond its usual length, whipping it in a circle. The end slammed into each soldier's head with a loud clunk, and they collapsed to the ground.

"Oh, I get it!" Sokka crowed as he stood back up. "Quack, because that's the sound ducks make!"

Katara whipped a ribbon of water from her waterskin, sending a soldier flying into a tree. "Yes, very clever, but there are more of them!"

The Fire Nation soldiers who had stayed back and avoided the staff joined the fight, firing balls of flame. Ty Lee threw up a wide air shield that dispersed the attacks, leaving them open to a combo from Aang and Sun, who lifted them into the air and blasted them into a wide tree. As the Airbenders pulled the majority of the attention, Katara and Sokka worked together to fight. She would whip her attackers away and he would defend her back as the soldiers attempted to flank them from behind. Katara would freeze a few in place and Sokka would take his club to their frozen forms, knocking them unconscious.

Groaning, the one-eyed leader stumbled to his feet and growled, taking a Firebending stance as his hands lit up with fire. He targeted the unaware Katara's back as she and her brother were dealing with another Firebender and prepared to launch a ball of fire, until a body fell from above and landed heavily on his back.

Sun deflected the slashes from a pair of swords with his staff with a quick twirl, the heavy metal knocking the blade away from one soldier before driving his staff into the man's stomach, sending him up in the air with a spin. The other recovered from and charged at the blond with a yell, only to stagger and collapse on the ground, an arrow sticking out of his back.

The blond looked up into the trees to find a plain-faced teen wearing a conical straw hat giving him a stiff nod, before quickly drawing another arrow and shooting the sword out of a Fire Bender's hand.

More teenagers dropped from the surrounding forestry with mixed battlecries, descending on the remaining soldiers like a landslide. A thin man with red face-paint wielded a knife with some skill, while another showed impressive martial arts skill, taking armed soldiers on with his bare hands. Another pair consisted of large, thickly muscled man and child who couldn't have been older than nine.

They fought wildly, quickly routing the already panicked Fire Nation soldiers, driving them off into the forest. Except for the few bodies lying still on the ground.

They regrouped as the other teens searched through the camp and the one who appeared to be the leader approached them. He wore patched-together clothes, with a dark red vest being the most prominent, along with long sleeves and pants. He had light armor on his shoulders and thighs, with every piece being different from the others, giving him a raggedy look, which he shared with the other teens. Along with messy brown hair, a piece of wheat in his mouth, the pair of cared-for hook swords at his waist and the confident, rebellious air, he gave off the aura of a bad boy.

"Those were some nice moves." He said by way of introduction. "I've never seen an Airbender in action before. I should thank you; we've been waiting all morning to ambush those soldiers. All we needed was a distraction, then bam! You guys came onto the scene and set it off. And took out most of them."

"Glad to help." Sun replied diplomatically. "I can tell you're all guerilla fighters, but who are you exactly?"

The teen thumbed his chest. "I'm Jet, and these are my freedom fighters. Sneers," He gestured to the bare-handed fighter, who was eating from a bowl of food, "Longshot," Then the teen wielding a bow, who nodded silently, "Smellerbee," The thin boy brandished an appropriated sword as a greeting, "And The Duke and Pipsqueak." He finished it off by pointing at the young boy and the giant, respectively.

"Well met." The blond nodded in greeting. "My name is Sun, and with me are Aang, Katara, Sokka and Ty Lee."

Jet looked over the group, giving Sokka a nod and the girls a wink and a smirk. Katara blushed rather heavily, and Ty Lee simply gave him a polite smile. Then, his eyes fell on Aang. "You must be the Avatar."

Aang frowned thoughtfully. "I am, how'd you know?" He wasn't that noticeable, was he?

The rebel leader reached for the back of his belt and retrieved a scroll, letting it unroll to show them the contents. On the paper was a full-body sketch of Aang, robes, staff and arrow all clearly visible. "They've got wanted posters out all over the place. If I were you, I'd think of disguising myself." He offered politely. "After seeing what you can do, I'd ask you to join us, but you obviously have bigger things to take care of."

"Nonsense!" The young Avatar decried. "Nothing's too small for the Avatar! I help people whenever I can."

Jet smirked and nodded. "Perfect, we could use the help."

"What exactly do you need help with?" Sun asked carefully, wondering why his senses were itching at him.

The rebel leader shook his head. "Not here. We've got a place, we can talk there."

"Hey, Jet!" The Duke yelled, standing near an open barrel, holding a green finger in the air. "These barrels are filled with blasting jelly!"

Jet gave them a thumb's-up. "That's a great score."

Pipsqueak hefted a wooden crate on his shoulder. "And these crates are filled with jelly candy."

"Also good, but let's try not to get them mixed up."

"Yeah, blasting jelly may taste fine, but you don't want to find what it does later; trust me." Sun added with a rueful expression. "Seems to be all of value here."

"We'll take this back to the hideout." Pipsqueak told them as he and the others began to stack the gains in a nearby cart. "You guys can get a head start."

Jet nodded in agreement and began to lead the group through the forest, the large man catching up a few minutes later. Eventually, they came to an empty clearing. "Here we are."

"Not to burst your bubble or anything," Sokka said, gesturing to the lack of a hideout. "But there's nothing here."

He was handed a looped rope with a secretive smirk. "Hold onto this."

The Water Tribe warrior examined the rope curiously, finding it to be nothing special. "Why? What does it doooooooo…" As he spoke, the loop pulled tight around his wrist, yanking him up into the air, darting through the foliage.

"Aang?" Jet offered another rope.

"Nah, I'll get up on my own." He refused, hopping up onto a branch and disappearing into the boughs.

Ty Lee gleefully snatched the loop from Jet and glomped Sun tightly. The blond nearly stumbled from the sudden embrace, hugging the acrobat back as the rope went taut in her hand and quickly pulled them up. Sun found himself looking at Ty Lee as she laughed happily, the wind rushing around them, her smile wide and her grey eyes glittering.

She felt his gaze on her and turned to him, her grin going soft as she pecked his cheek and they broke through the greenery, detaching from the rope and floating down to land on a wooden platform. They found themselves in the midst of small village, made of wooden platforms that ringed the wide trunks of the trees and were connected by simple bridges and a series of ropes. Aang was zipping along one such rope, Momo clinging to his collar.

"Nice place." Sun said, impressed.

"It's nice," Jet replied, landing next to them with Katara quickly stepping out of his arms. "And more importantly, the Fire Nation can't find us."

Smellerbee let go of his ascending rope, landing easily. "And they'd just love to find you, wouldn't they, Jet?" He asked rhetorically.

"Not gonna happen." He replied simply.

"Have you been doing…this, for long?" Katara asked, looking over the small village.

Pipsqueak answered, having joined the walking group. "We've been ambushing their troops, cuttin' off supply lines and doing anything we can to mess with them since they took over an Earth Kingdom village a few years back." He explained, sounding sad near the end.

Jet patted the large man's shoulder. "We'll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good one day and set that town free." He declared firmly.

Katara looked up at the rebel with wide eyes. "That's so brave." She murmured.

Behind them, Sun narrowed his eyes on Jet's back. _My neck's itching again. Something is off, but what?_

As Jet gave backstory on the others in the gang, Sun tried to figure out why his senses were going haywire around the group of guerilla fighters. They didn't seem to be hostile to anyone other than the Fire Nation, but the blond didn't miss anything as Jet revealed to Katara that his parents had been killed when he was a child.

…

Hours later, night had fallen, and the gang had gathered around a banquet table with rebels, Jet standing on end with a drink in his hand. "Today, we struck a great blow against the Fire Nation swine!" He announced proudly.

Sokka was the only one of the gang to glance over at Sun and Ty Lee and notice that their expressions were carefully schooled to not show how that comment had affected them. Aang and Katara were caught up in the atmosphere and cheered along with the rebels.

"I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face as Pipsqueak picked him up by the leg and tossed him into another." He toasted, Pipsqueak raising his arms in victory as the others clapped. "Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees. Maybe they're right." He said with a nod.

The rebels booed loudly.

"Or, maybe, they're _dead_ wrong." Jet growled, his face twisted in an angry grimace, the shadows of the lanterns dancing menacingly across his visage.

Sun and Ty Lee traded concerned looks, and Sokka felt his spine prickle. Jet hopped off the table and took a seat between the Tribal siblings, kicking back and relaxing. "That was good speech, Jet." Katara praised with a smile, her eyes flickering from the rebel next to her to the blond sitting across the table.

"Thanks." He thanked with a smirk. "So, I figured out a way you guys can help us in our struggle."

"How so?" Aang asked interestedly, looking up from his salad.

"Sorry, but we can't." Sokka interjected, standing from the table. "It's been fun, but we have places to go."

"You're kidding, right?" Jet asked incredulously. "You're the one I need the most for an important mission tomorrow!"

Sun watched as Sokka hesitated and turned back. "Mission, you say?"

…

Even later, Sun was still awake as the moon rose high into the sky. He sat on the edge of a wooden platform, his legs dangling off the side. "Sun?" He looked up as Ty Lee emerged from the tent they had set up on a free platform. "You're awake."

"Yeah, couldn't sleep." He replied with a sigh.

The acrobat sat next to him with a shrewd look. "You're getting a bad feeling too." She stated.

Sun nodded seriously. "Something's off about Jet, it's making me feel suspicious. It's like I can sense some ill intent, but it's muddy."

"I didn't want to say it around the others," Ty Lee confided, "But his aura is…it's not pleasant. It's all grey and angry red. It makes me feel sick."

"Something's going on with him." He stated in agreement. "I think Sokka can feel it too, though he got swept up in the storm that seems to be Jet. Did you notice how he knew how to play on Sokka's ego to get us to stay?"

"Or how he knows just what to say to flatter Katara and Aang?" She replied lowly. "I don't like it."

As they talked in hushed whispered, they were unaware of the blue eyes watching them from the mouth of their tent. Katara couldn't hear what they were saying, but their whispers sounded intense. She wondered if it had anything to do with Jet, the rebellious bad boy who had drawn her attention with his confidence and roguish air. Something about him niggled in the back of her mind, but she didn't know what. It might be a good thing, who knows?

…

"Since our cloaks are wider than Aang's glider, we have to take wider turns." Sun explained, waving to the surrounding tree trunks. "This is the perfect place to practice controlling flight around obstacles. I'll make a quick circuit and mark the path I want you to take. You can follow me if you want."

As he secured the loops of his cloak to his arms, Aang spoke up from his spot on a higher up platform. "Hey Sun, I've always wondered. How can you fly with that really heavy staff in your pocket?" He asked in confusion.

Sun, who had just jumped, paused mid-air, his face dawning with shock. "Oh, spirits, Aang, you're right!" With a surprised scream, he plummeted through the air like a rock, disappearing through the leafy branches.

The Airbenders looked over the side, giving each shocked looks. "Did that really just happen?" Aang asked quietly.

"No." Sun's sudden statement from behind made them jump, making the young monk windmills his arms to keep from falling off of the edge. He laughed at their faces, shaking his head as Ty Lee punched his arm ineffectively. "As I said before, my staff is a weapon from the Spirit World, a different plane of existence. It doesn't follow the same rules as a metal staff made here would. I can carry it in my pocket just fine; but for most other people, it would rip a hole in their pants, if they could actually lift it."

He pulled his cape taut and dropped from the edge. "Come on, Ty Lee." He called, flying through the air. As Sun flew, he wove through the trees, marking specific spots with a swipe of his hand. Completing the circuit, he flew back to the starting point, watching his childhood friend fly. She could fly straight, but she seemed to have trouble banking, her form shaking as she curved around a trunk.

"Here I go!" The acrobat announced, looping around the starting tree and heading back into the makeshift circuit.

Sun followed her progress closely, noting how slow she was going and how shaky her form was. "She's trying too hard to control her path," He said to Aang, who was playing with Momo. "She's not following her instincts."

Ty Lee landed on the platform, breathing hard. "How'd I do?"

"Not too bad, but your banking is shaky. You need to stop trying to force the turn; just let the air flow around you." He instructed, waving to the course again. "Try again, but let your instincts guide you, and don't be afraid to fly faster. If you think you're going to crash, just bounce off the tree and try again."

She nodded in understanding before stepping off of the platform and letting the wind catch her. Sun clicked his tongue as he noticed she was still trying to control it, cornering slowly. He waited until she had completed the circuit before waving for her to do it once more. As she looped around the starting tree, the blond inhaled deeply, releasing a wave of air from his mouth that caught Ty Lee in the back, making her fly even faster.

Ty Lee yelped in shock at the sudden acceleration, her eyes going wide as she sped at a tree. Closing her eyes, she felt her instincts crying out. Letting them take over, she loosened her grip on her cloak, opened her body a bit more to the air and felt a difference immediately. Her slipstream was smoother and she could feel the wind flowing around her even more.

She opened her eyes and took the course at a high speed, smoothly looping through the trees. Ty Lee flew back to the start with a wide grin. "I did it!" She shouted. "I listened to my instincts and I did it!"

She whooped as Naruto and Aang cheered for her. "Good job!" The blond yelled, "I want you to run it again, see how it feels now!"

The acrobat ran through the circuit one more time, whooping in joy as she easily maneuvered through the trees. She came back around and dived at Sun, tackling him to the wooden floor. She smiled down at him before hugging him tightly, rubbing her cheek against his. "Thanks so much!"

He chuckled and hugged her back. "It's part of your heritage, Ty. It's a balancing act between knowing your skill and trusting your instincts, and you are an acrobat, after all." Sun let Ty Lee cuddle with him for a bit longer before getting up and continuing the lesson.

Back along the platform, Katara shrunk back into the tent she had just emerged from, sinking down to sit on her sleeping bag. The latest scene only seemed to confirm what she had thought and feared; Sun and Ty Lee were too close for her to make any sort of move on the blond bender. Whatever joy she might've had from making Sun hers would be flattened by the sad face Ty Lee would make, an expression she could already see in her mind's eye.

The Waterbender sighed and steeled herself. It wasn't the end of the world, just a lost chance. She could deal with lost chances, and it shouldn't be hard to shift her view of the handsome, caring guide from potential love interest to how she saw Sokka and Aang, would it?

As she stepped out of the tent, she was ambushed by Sun, who lifted her into a warm hug. "Sun!" She squealed in surprise, her face flushing red. Katara hyper-aware of how could feel his warmth penetrating her clothes as his strong arms encapsulated her against his broad chest and his soft blond hair brushed against her cheek. "What' are you doing?!"

"Well," He drawled, grinned widely, "Ty Lee's learned how to fly and she gave me a hug, and Aang felt left-out, so I'm making sure no one is left out!" Over his shoulder, she could see the acrobat hugging the monk gladly, Momo flying around them while chattering loudly.

As her cheeks burned even more, Katara hugged the bender back, burying her face in his shoulder. _Oh hell._ She swore in her mind. _This is impossible._

Sun set her down as Sokka came trudging up to the tent, his shoulders slumped and his face stony. "Sokka! Hugs for everyone!"

The warrior grunted and began to roll up his sleeping bag. "Hug your pack, we're leaving." He said shortly.

The blond was instantly suspicious. "What happened?"

"Her boyfriend," He grunted with a jerk of his head at his sister, "is nothing but a thug."

"No he's not!" Katara protested as the others joined them. "He's a freedom fighter."

"He's messed up," Sokka insisted, giving her a serious look. "Seriously messed up. 'Freedom fighters' don't rob harmless old men." Out of their sight, Sun and Ty Lee traded suspicious looks.

His sister stepped back in shock. "What? What do you mean? Jet wouldn't do that!"

Her brother dropped his pack roughly and spun on his heel to face her. "And how would you know, Katara? You just met the guy yesterday!" He barked, his visage troubled.

Katara crossed her arms stubbornly. "I want to hear Jet's side of the story." She insisted.

"Yeah, there may be something you don't know about." Aang agreed fairly. "I'll go find him, he'll tell us everything."

Jet had swung across to them and listened intently, turning a concerned look on Sokka. "You told them what happened, but you didn't mention that he was Fire Nation?"

"He was bent over, using a cane to walk!" Sokka protested hotly. "A cane that you kicked away!"

"I had to." Jet shrugged, reaching into his belt and retrieving a curved, wicked-looking knife that he sunk into the tree he was leaning on, leaving the spiked hilt next to his head. "He was going for this. He was an assassin, Sokka."

Sokka looked between the knife and the rebel in surprise. "I didn't see a knife on him!" He said quickly.

The rebel tapped the blade. "That's 'cause he was concealing it. Look," He pulled on the ring pommel, revealing a glass tube filled with red liquid, "there's a hidden compartment for poison. He was sent to eliminate me. You helped save my life, Sokka."

The Water Tribe warrior threw his hands up in the air. "There was no knife, I know it!" He denied, before stomping away. "I'm packing my things and we're leaving!"

Jet gained a worried expression. "Please tell me you guys aren't leaving." He said desperately. "We really need your help. The Fire Nation is going to burn down our forest and destroy our whole valley!"

Aang and Katara gasped in shock. Sun affected a look of surprise. "Oh man, that's terrible." He said with a shake of his head. "I'm going to talk to Sokka, guys. Can I take that?" The blond gestured to the knife, which Jet pulled out of the trunk and passed it to him.

Ty Lee joined him and they left, barely hearing the rebel leader asking Aang and Katara to help fill a water reservoir. They stepped into the tent, finding Sokka angrily packing his things. "Sokka."

"Don't try and stop me, guys!" He shot over his shoulder. "Jet is messed up, and I want no part in it!"

"We know, Sokka. We felt it too." Ty Lee soothed, patting his shoulder. "Jet's been giving me the creeps since we first saw him; this just confirms it."

Sun held the knife up. "And his story rings false to me." He removed the poison vial, along with a small stone bowl from his belt. The blond poured a bit of the red liquid into the container and added a bit of water before holding it over his palm, a handful of yellow fire crackling in his hand. He heated the mixture until it steamed, then wafted it up his nose shortly before he grimaced and turned away from the concoction in disgust. "Screaming Red."

Ty Lee felt a shiver crawl up her spine at the pronouncement. "What's that?" She asked lowly.

"A very dangerous poison, made from a mixture of plants, mostly rat-snake venom, curare and Red Flowering Cacti." Sun listed solemnly. "If cut, the victim would be paralysed and wracked with terrible pain, but completely unable to move as they hallucinate horrible things. It's called such because the victim ends up lying on the ground, only being able to scream in pain."

Sokka shuddered in horror. "That's…terrifying."

"It is." Sun confirmed with a nod. "And it's also something the Fire Nation would never use. Using poison would make the user seem too weak and cowardly to fight for themselves, and they would be disgraced. This poison and the weapon come from the Corsairs, a group of Fire Navy deserters who got tired of blindly following orders and turned to pirating instead."

"So Jet was definitely lying about the old man." The warrior concluded, smacking his fist into his palm. "But that leaves more questions. What does he have planned? Why is he lying? If only we knew more."

Ty Lee shared a knowing look with Sun. "We overheard a little bit, but involves a nearby reservoir." She shared.

"We'll have to search around, see what we can find out." Sokka suddenly thrust his hand in the air. "I know! He wants us to help him tomorrow, so that must mean he's going to set it up tonight!" He deduced. "We should wait until it's dark and follow him."

Sun grimaced slightly. "Uh, it would be better if it was just Ty Lee and myself, Sokka." He said carefully.

"What? Why?" The warrior asked, frowning.

"Well, you're not the most sneaky guy around," The blond worded delicately, trying not to hurt Sokka's feelings. "We're Airbenders, we're naturally quieter when we walk. It would make more sense for us to go instead of all three of us. And if we get made, at least one of us will know what happened and why."

Sokka crossed his arms, definitely not pouting. "But what if you get caught and you have to fight?" He questioned, waving a hand.

Ty Lee raised her hand and twirled her fingers, a miniature tornado forming above her palm. Sun blinked slowly and arched an eyebrow at Sokka, who gained a sheepish expression.

"Good point."

…

That night, when everyone else was asleep, Jet and a few of his followers descended from the tree tops, pushing the wagon full of blasting jelly through the forest. A pair of cloaked figures followed the group from above, dashing over the thin branches with no more noise than a light breeze.

They traveled quickly through the forest, heading down a narrow cliff to plant the wagon at the base of a wide stone dam, the reservoir of which was currently empty. "Listen, make sure not to blow the dam before the reservoir is full; the Fire Nation troops might survive if it isn't."

"What about the people in the town, Jet?" The Duke asked worriedly, hopping down from the wagon. "Won't they get washed away, too?"

Jet sighed and knelt near the child, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's the price we have to pay for getting rid of the Fire Nation, Duke." He said kindly. "Those people would suffer for years. This way, they get set free."

Sun gave Ty Lee a grave look. "Now we know." He whispered, his face twisting in disgust. "Jet's not a freedom fighter; he's a bastard, no better than the soldiers he hates."

Ty Lee shook her head. "How are we going to deal with this?" She asked curiously, playing with the hem of her cloak.

"I'll deal with the blasting jelly," He said back, grabbing her hand comfortingly. "You go back and tell the others when they wake. I'll catch up before sunrise."

Sun made to leave, but was caught up when the acrobat grabbed his cape and pulled him back, throwing her arms around him and meshing her lips to his. "Stay safe." She whispered, pulling away a minute later.

He smiled briefly. "Good night. Good luck." Then, with a swish of his white cloak, he disappeared into thin air.

…

That morning, Jet knocked loudly on the trunk next to the Avatar group's tent, not noticing the hushed whispers dying down under the chirping of birds. "Morning! Come on people, we got a forest to save!" He called cheerfully.

The group, minus Sun, emerged from the tent with determined looks. Well, Ty Lee and Sokka looked determined, Aang and Katara looked uncertain.

"Something wrong?" Jet asked curiously.

Katara shook her head and smiled at him. "Not at all. Let's get cracking."

They moved quickly through the forest, finding themselves along a river that had banks dotted in rounded holes, steam escaping from the water. On the other side of the left bank, a deep, dry gully ran. "Here we are," Jet announced, gesturing to the vents and the river. "There's an underground water vein escaping from the vents; all I need you to do is help it along."

The bushes rustled as Sun dropped from a tree, landing next to them with stumble. "Hey guys, seems I caught up with you right on time." He greeted with a smile.

"Where were you?" Jet asked carefully.

The blond grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had to go to the bathroom." He said in embarrassment. "Sorry."

The rebel leader shrugged uncaringly. "It's cool. With three Waterbenders, this should go quick. I'm going to check on things at the reservoir." He gave them a winning smile and thumb's-up. "Remember, I believe in you, and I know you can do it." Without another word, he swung himself up into the trees and leapt off.

Contrary to his beliefs, the group didn't even start to fill the reservoir. Instead, they waited and talked. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" Katara asked sadly.

Sun nodded seriously. "Absolutely. Ty Lee and I saw it with our own eyes. If we wait another few minutes and head out, we'll find them at the dam, unloading the blasting jelly." He said, before motioning for them to follow and jogging off into the forest.

Soon enough, they arrived at the dam and descended quickly, finding Jet directing Pipsqueak, Smellerbee and Sneers as they unloaded the red barrels and stacked them at the base of the stone dam, while Longshot kept a lookout from a tree and Pipsqueak watched from a rock.

"I don't believe it." Katara muttered, her voice carrying over the distance. "You lied to us, Jet!"

Jet stiffened and spun around to find the group staring at him accusingly. "What are you guys doing here? We need to fill that reservoir!" He shouted desperately.

"There's no point in lying anymore!" Aang yelled, gripping his staff tightly. "We know what you're planning to do, and we're here to stop you!"

"You don't understand!" Jet called, his hands on his hook swords. "This is the only way to set these people free! Sokka, Katara, think of what the Fire Nation did to your mother! We can't let them do that to anyone ever again!"

Katara clenched her fists and looked down, her face scrunched up. "I will never forgive the soldier who murdered my mother," She whispered through gritted teeth. Releasing a heavy sigh, she met Jet's eyes evenly. "But it wasn't everyone in the Fire Nation who was responsible for it. I won't let my anger at one man poison my view of an entire people. Not when two of them are my friends."

She stepped up and put a hand on Sun and Ty Lee's shoulders, gripping them tightly. The rebels gasped. "You-?"

"Ty Lee and I were born in the Fire Nation, Jet." Sun said blandly, glaring at him from under the lip of his hood. "And I don't appreciate you calling us swine. Also…" He raised his hands and clenched his fist, yellow fire engulfing them.

"You're a Firebender!" Jet screamed, nearly frothing at the mouth. "You tricked us!"

Ty Lee sneered, the angry look alien on her cheerful face. "And you're a damn hypocrite!" She shot back. "You say the Fire Nation is full of monsters, but you're no better! You cry for freedom, but you try to wipe away a town to do it? And what town is it, huh? Do you even know the name? Or do you just not care?"

Jet charged at her, brandishing his swords wildly. "You shut your mouth, you monster!" He shouted, leaping into the air as Ty Lee took her Airbending stance.

Before he could land his attack, Sun appeared in front of him, slapping his swords aside before slamming his palm into the rebel leader's chest, sending him flipping back. Jet landed heavily, pushing himself to his feet with grunt of pain.

"You. Do not. Call her a monster." Sun whispered furiously, his eyes nearly glowing in the shadow of his hood.

"Chivalry from the Fire Nation?!" Jet shouted, whipping his swords in front of him as the other rebels ran to his side, brandishing their weapon of choice. "Stop pretending you care, bastard!"

The group made to attack, but the blond held his hand out, stopping them. "Normally, I would let you guys fight." Sun announced calmly, undoing the clasp and shrugging his cloak off. "It's a good exercise for team-building. But…"

He cracked his knuckles, his lips pulling back to reveal his sharp white teeth. "They threatened a town full of innocents, lied to our faces, and insulted us. I. Am. Angry." He rolled his neck. "I'll handle this myself."

"Get him!" The rebel leader shouted, charging at the blond with his followers at his side.

Sun hopped forward and slammed his hand on the ground, making the earth rumble and shake, knocking the rebels off-balance. Then, he leaped into the fray.

Sneers attacked him a flurry of fists, and Sun dodged or blocked every one, before catching a punch and pulling the rebel at himself, kicking him in the stomach and throwing him away. Smellerbee dashed at him with a yell, swinging a pair of swords wildly.

The blond blocked her slashes with his bracers, sparks flying as steel met gold-inlaid stone. He knocked her swords aside and spun, catching an arrow shot at him by Longshot, snapping it between his fingers and throwing the remains in Jet's face, before dropping and sweeping the rebel's legs out from under him. He came out of the spin and jumped over a low slash from Smellerbee, who ducked under his retaliatory kick but was unprepared for the open-handed slap he landed on his face, sending him cartwheeling into the dam.

Pipsqueak shouted in rage and attacked the blond with his log, swinging the wide weapon with angry abandon. Sun ducked under the first swipe before coming back up and catching the next, stopping it cold to the large rebel's surprise. Then, he punched the log into splinters, making Pipsqueak gasp in pain from the splinters digging into his hands. He brushed his palms off roughly before clenching them into fists and throwing his right at Sun.

Sun caught his fist with a blank face, the impact echoing through the air. He slowly squeezed the larger man's hand, making the bones creak and Pipsqueak groan as he sunk to his knees. The blond punched the giant in the chest hard, sending him flying through the air and into the tree Longshot was hiding in, making it snap in half and tumble to the ground.

The archer nocked two arrows to his string and ran at Sun, firing them at his chest. The blond smacked them aside and followed Longshot as he leaped over his head, firing another arrow that Sun dodged as he spun, his hand chopping through the wood of the bow, snapping it in half, before he stepped forward and palmed the archer's chest, throwing him into a tree trunk.

Nearly incoherent with rage, Jet charged at him with his hook swords flashing through the air, the blades singing. Sun deflected the slashes and dodged under his kick, catching the hooks on his bracers, grabbing the blades at the curve and, with a flick of his wrist, snapped them off.

Jet stumbled back, looking at the ragged points of his swords in shock. "You really are a monster." He whispered, before dashing forward to engage him again. Sun pushed his attacks away with his bracers and caught the follow-up stab, nearly crushing Jet's hands and yanking the swords away when he reflexively released them. With contemptuous ease, he crumbled the weapons into scrap and tossed them aside.

The rebel leader screamed in anger and punched at him; the blond dodged the wild blow and back-handed Jet's face, sending him spinning roughly to the ground. Sun stood victorious over Jet, looking down at him with a stony visage.

"You think you've won, swine?" Jet asked quietly, using the back of his hand to wipe the blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth away. "You haven't won anything! Longshot, now!"

Longshot had recovered just enough to pull his backup weapon, a small crossbow loaded with a single bolt wrapped in cloth and lit it with a flint and tinder. Taking aim, he fired it at the red barrels. The bolt sailed right past Aang, who was watching the proceedings with an awed expression.

Seeing his plan about to come to fruition, Jet grinned bloodily at Sun, before something dawned on him. Instead of panicking, like he expected, the blond was staring down at him with disappointment on his features.

It was then that Jet realized something was wrong.

The metal bolt impacted the barrel, splitting the wood and allowing liquid to gush forth…and douse the lit rag. Water poured out of the barrel, gurgling softly as it emptied.

"We followed you last night." Sun revealed blandly. "I disposed of the blasting jelly this morning. And, we didn't even fill the reservoir on the off chance you would do something like this."

"You…" Jet whispered at seeing his plan completely and utterly foiled. "You son of a bitch! I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!" He screamed, leaping at the blond from his crouch, pulling a hidden dagger from his belt.

Sun caught his wrist and twisted him around, ripping the knife away before spinning and giving the the rebel leader an Airbending enhanced kick to the chest, sending him into the forest. The blond bender followed quickly, dashing through the trunks to find Jet slumped at the base of tree, defeated. "You disappoint me, Jet." He muttered, gripping the rebel by the front of his vest and pulling him up.

"I don't care!" Jet spat. "Go ahead! If you're gonna kill me, then kill me! But don't waste your breath with-"

Sun's eyes began to glow yellow, as did the sun mark on the back of his left hand. He grabbed the rebel's head, his eyes going blank as the blond scanned his soul.

" **Somehow, your soul has yet to be stained with the blood of the innocent."** He whispered, his voice deep and ethereal. " **This allows you a second chance, Jet. Just one. Change your ways. There are other ways to fight for freedom, and this is not it."**

Jet gasped as the hand released his head, slumping back on the tree trunk.

" **Do not mistake this as mercy, Jet."** Sun ordered, staring down at him with glowing eyes. " **I will be watching you. You are marked, now. There is nowhere you can hide from my sight. If you even** _ **think**_ **of trying this again, of hurting innocents again, I will find you."** He crouched, looking directly at Jet. " **And you will feel the Flames of the Sun. Do not squander this chance."**

Standing, the blond walked off, the glow fading as he strode away. Sun blinked, wondering just where that had come from, feeling the back of his hand tingle. _Master?_ He wondered, clenching his fist. _How did that happen? That was not just myself speaking._

He exited the copse to find the group standing near the dam, the other rebels piled near it and the red barrels filled with water. Katara handed him his cloak as Aang blew into his bison whistle. "I'm sorry I kept you from fighting, guys." He apologized. "I just…I was angry. I wanted something to hit."

"It's alright." Ty Lee replied with a small smile. "I didn't mind not fighting."

Appa landed near them, his saddle fully packed with their bags, Momo chittering from his head. Aang hopped onto the bison's head and took the reins, flicking them and bringing them into the air.

"You know, sometimes I forget just how scary you can be." Sokka said to Sun, who smiled ruefully.

"I don't want to be scary, Sokka." He said quietly. "But, if it can keep innocent people safe, I don't mind."

They fell silent for a while, until Aang slipped into the saddle. "Hey, Sun, I was wondering…how did you get rid of the blasting jelly?" He asked curiously.

Sun grimaced for a second, before leaning back and literally belching a tongue of flame into the air, making Appa low in surprise. "Well, I did say it doesn't taste too bad…" He said, smiling.

The others in the saddle gaped at him. "But-you said…" Sokka stammered with wide eyes.

Sun shrugged humorously. "I have the stomach for it, I can deal with it." He belched again. "That's going to last for awhile, sorry."

Aang frowned in thought. "Hey, Sun…"

"No, Aang, you don't have the stomach for it."

…

…

…

 **A/N: And finished. Quite the long chap, eh? A good amount of things happened here, including a beatdown by the blond hero. I'm not going to apologize if Sun's OP, he's seen and done more than all the others. And in canon, when Naruto got angry, he got scary. I'm just being true to the lore.**

 **And a big thanks to Kurogane7, who helped edit! Why don't you check out his work, eh?**

 **Kurogane7: Danke, mein freund.**

 **So yeah, Jet was dealt with, and the gang moves on to more adventures. Sun kind of took the forefront of the chapter, but then again, he** _ **is**_ **the main character. And I'll be skipping the Great Divide episode. It adds basically nothing. So no.**

 **And once again, Naruto's staff weighs** _ **EIGHT TONS.**_ **He can snap swords and break stones with ease; the fact that he didn't kill any of the rebels is a testament to his self-control even when angry, more so than his strength. And again, it'll play a big part in some of the upcoming chapters.**

 **Kurogane7: Nothing like channeled anger to put a sniper rifle to shame.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, why not leave a review? And if you like it a lot, why not also check out my other stories? You may like what you find, wink-wink.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**


	12. Flashbacks and Feelings

A shrill scream rent the air as a body was launched through space, the noise cutting off as the owner slammed into a tree and tumbled to the ground. Standing in a clearing full of unconscious men, only one remained awake. Despite the damage to the area and the other people, his clothes and his cape were immaculate. "Come on!" the man complained, brushing his blond hair back, "You guys suck! I thought with bounties as high as yours, you would've been a better fight, especially you!" He pointed down at a roughly bearded man, who flinched in fear. "You're the leader of these guys, you're supposed to be the strongest!"

The man stammered in surprise, before snatching a handful of dirt and tossing it at the blond man's face and scrambling away. The blond simply closed his eyes and let the dirt bounce off of him, shaking his head afterward and giving the fleeing man a deadpan stare.

Then, he leaned over and uppercut the air, aiming at the other man's back. In response, the earth roiled in a line, bucking as it raced at the fleeing bounty before erupting underneath his feet, launching him through the air and into a tree.

The blond bender huffed and strode towards the man. "These other guys are small fry, but the leader is worth at least twice as much as them combined, which might not make this such a huge waste of time," he muttered to himself, pausing as a loud rustling broke the silence.

A large animal with a long, narrow snout ending in a star-nose burst from the undergrowth, a woman on its back wielding a whip. The animal sniffed and growled at the rising bounty and at a barked command from the woman, flicked a long, pink, barbed tongue at the bounty, marking his cheek and making him fall over stiff as a statue.

"Hey!" the blond bender called, "That's my bounty!"

The woman snapped her whip, fastening it around the bounty and hauled him onto the back of her saddle. "Actually, since I caught him, he's my bounty now. Thanks for doing the legwork, though," she replied with a smirk.

"Uh, yeah, no. Take your thanks back and give me my bounty," he ordered, pointing at her.

"How about, instead-Nyla!" she called. The animal underneath her growled and whipped its barbed tongue at the blond, making him duck out of the way. As he stood up, he saw the mounted woman rapidly disappearing into the trees. Rolling his eyes, he secured a few loops inside of his cape around his arms and threw himself into the air, the wind catching his cape as he flew after the woman.

He tracked her from the sky, flying well above the treetops. Her mount was fast, but had to dodge through the trees and over the underbrush, giving him the advantage in speed. The blond bender noticed that they were coming up on a well-sized hut in a small clearing, a sign reading 'Bounty Office' hanging from the door.

The man spun around and pulled his arms close, diving and twisting through the air at the mounted woman; or more specifically, the paralyzed man on the back of her saddle. He spun around the animal, reaching out and snagging his bounty back, twirling in front of the woman just long enough to give her a mocking grin and a jaunty salute before twisting and landing against a tree.

He pushed off of the trunk strongly, launching himself into another, bouncing from tree to tree so fast he became a blur. The woman grit her teeth and snapped the reins with a shout, spurring her mount on faster, racing after the blond man.

The blond bender jumped from the last tree and landed on the wooden patio, sliding to a stop and flinging the door open, stepping in and dropping his bounty on the desk just as the woman leaped from her mount. She hit the floor at a roll and came up at the desk, slapping her hand down on the paralyzed man, both of them shouting, "First!"

And older man with solid grey hair frowned at them from behind the desk, leaning on the wooden surface. "Why are you shoutin' in my office?" he asked gruffly, "And what's all this 'first' business?"

"Nothing much, old man, just here to claim a bounty that I fairly took down." the blond replied with a terse smile, glaring at the woman next to him.

"Except that I'm the one who caught him," The woman insisted, her dark brown eyes narrowed on the man.

The blond bender shrugged. "True, but only after he was running away from me, after I took down his whole gang single-handedly." He rebuked.

The other bounty hunter nodded. "Yes, thank you for that, but I brought him all the way here!" she said harshly.

"Not _all_ the way," he replied with a smirk.

As she opened her mouth to respond, the old man slammed his hand on the desk loudly. "Hey!" he shouted, "No shoutin' in my office!" Seeing he had their attention, he scooped a sack full of money from under the desk, dropping it on the frozen man's stomach. "Now, here's how I see it: if you can't decide who gets the bounty, I'll just keep it all for myself, savvy?"

The two bounty hunters glanced from the money to each other several times, before nodding slightly and turning to the old man. "We're partners." They declared simultaneously.

"Glad you figured it out," the old man stated, tossing the sack at the blond. "Now get out of my office."

The two walked out quickly, glaring at each other the entire way. Once they stepped outside, the blond flipped away as the woman snapped her whip at him. "That's my bounty," She hissed, her animal joining in.

"Are you really going to fight me over this?" He asked dully. "We both know I did all the work."

"Doesn't matter. No one makes a fool of me!" the woman growled, readying to fight.

The blond sighed and rolled his eyes. "You know what? I don't want to bother with you anymore."

He pulled the bag open and poured half of the contents into his coin purse, tossing the rest at the woman. "There. Half. More than you deserve, but I'm done here."

The woman tilted her head in confusion as the blond strode off. She carefully picked the bag up and peeked inside, finding it to be filled with precisely half of the original bounty. She glanced at the bender's back, before storing the money away and smoothly jumping in her saddle. "Let's go, Nyla." She said, ushering her mount after him.

The blond sighed an hour later, as the woman was still following him without saying a word. Finally, he turned to face her. "Is there a reason you're following me?" he asked.

"Most other hunters would've fought me for the whole bounty," she replied, looking curious. "But you didn't. Why?"

"As I said, I'm done dealing with you. I've got other things to do," he answered, walking off without a backward glance.

The woman huffed in annoyance, doggedly following after him. "You're not even going to tell me your name?" She prodded.

The blond sighed, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Sun. Yours?" He replied politely.

"June," she answered proudly, patting her mount with a loving smile. "And this is my baby, Nyla."

"Alright then. June, leave me alone," Sun deadpanned, easily pushing his way through the undergrowth.

"Nah, I don't think so," June replied, with a wide, victorious smirk. "You're interesting. And there's no one else for miles around."

The blond rolled his eyes. "Fine, do whatever you want," he sighed, setting off on a thin trail.

"I usually do," she said smugly, following behind him.

"Clearly."

Night had fallen by the time Sun decided to set up camp for the night, with June and Nyla joining him. As a fire crackled in the center of the clearing they had settled down in, the blond ate a quick dinner of dried meat and fruit, watching the bounty hunter sitting across from him. "How long have you been hunting?" he finally asked, the silence getting to him.

"Just shy of fifteen years," June answered, stroking Nyla's side. "Nyla's been with me the whole time, isn't that right my beautiful girl?" she said in baby voice, scratching the animal's side, "What about you?"

"A few months," he replied easily, relaxing against a fallen log with his hands behind his head. "I'm working to hone my skills and, well, a body's gotta eat."

She nodded understandingly. "Ah, the 'wandering warrior' type. Been on any interesting hunts?"

Sun thought back, tapping his chin. "Yeah. There was this one time, where I tracked down a gang of thieves to their den, expecting a good fight, but they turned out to be total wimps. And after I took them all down, even their leader, this rude woman came out of nowhere and tried to snatch my bounty," he told her with a flat glare.

June sniffed haughtily. "Are you still going on about that? It's water under the bridge, as far as I'm concerned." At his blank stare, she threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, I can see when I'm not wanted. I'm turning in. Night." She settled back against Nyla, leaning into the animal's warmth and closing her eyes.

June watched from under her eyelids as the blond across from her snorted to himself before going to bed, curling up under his cape. She waited until the fire was mere embers and his light snores were issuing from his form before quietly pushing herself away from her mount, crawling on all fours across the grass. She carefully pulled his cape away from his belt and slowly untied the strings attached to his coin purse, muffling it with her tunic.

Smirking victoriously, the bounty hunter crept away from the sleeping Sun, mounting Nyla silently and urging her away.

Back in the clearing, Sun sat up with a sigh, quietly watching June ride off. "How annoying," he muttered, before taking to the skies with a flap of his cape.

He watched from above as June tied Nyla to a post and entered a two-story building with a curved red roof, a raucous of shouts, laughter and jeers echoing from the within. Landing on the roof, Sun swung himself inside a window, over a table full of surprised occupants. He ignored their questions and peered over the railing to the floor below, catching sight of the bounty hunter slapping a handful of coins on the counter and receiving a few bottles of alcohol in return.

She sat down at table, downing her first cup, smirking at a man approaching her. Sun saw them trade words, before the man pulled up a seat and put his elbow on the surface. June smirked and grabbed his hand, a crowd quickly forming around them. They cheered and made bets as the two arm-wrestled, the much-slimmer June easily putting her opponent's hand onto the table.

Sun slipped down the stairs and through the crowd, standing behind the woman who had stolen his money, watching as she won another match easily. As the people around the table began to surge with bets, he pushed a pair of men into a another, ducking around as a melee broke out. June turned around in her seat to view the fighting, missing as the blond bender stepped past her and yanked his coin purse off of her belt. She spun around at the pulling sensation, a snarl on her lips, catching sight of a white cape fluttering between bodies as the doors swung shut. Patting her belt, she balked upon finding the money missing, jumping from her seat and racing out the door.

Sun didn't turn around as she burst from the tavern. "How did you know?" She called angrily, gripping her whip and preparing to fight.

"Did you honestly think I would fall asleep so easily with someone who tried to steal my bounty in front of me?" he replied, not looking back and not caring to give her any more of his attention, "I had thought you were becoming good company, but then you went and stole from me again. As I said before, June: I'm done dealing with you."

The black-haired bounty hunter cursed to herself as the blond strode away into the night, turning to grab Nyla and chase after him; but was stopped short at the sight of eight men surrounding her mount, tying her down with weighted ropes. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? Back away from her!" she shouted, stomping up to the largest man.

He regarded her with an arched eyebrow. "This your beast, eh?" He patted Nyla's flank none too gently. "A shirshu. Very fast, very rare…very valuable," he taunted with a grin.

"She's not for sale, so back off!" She shoved the poacher aside and made to free her mount from the snares, but was stopped when a large hand gripped her shoulder. "Remove your hand, or I will…at the wrist."

The poacher yanked her away roughly, sending her stumbling into the street. "I wasn't asking to buy the beast," he explained gruffly, scratching at his thick beard. "I'm taking it. So, if you want to make it to tomorrow morning with your life, you'd best back off." As he spoke, the other poachers surrounded her, fingering their weapons threateningly.

June narrowed her eyes, gripping her whip tightly. A few seconds later, her shoulders slumped and she turned to leave with mocking jeers from the poachers echoing from behind…before suddenly spinning back and lashing out with her whip, the leather cord wrapping around the leader's neck. She pulled him towards her and kicked him between the legs, before grabbing his face and throwing him into another man, in the same motion ducking under a slash from an axe that would've taken her head off.

June spun between strikes, lashing out with vengeance in her limbs and her weapon, scoring hits that made the poachers shout in pain.

One of the more clever poachers snuck out of the fighting and retrieved a bolas from his belt, rapidly spinning it over his head before hurling it at June. The flying snare wrapped tightly around her limbs, locking her arms and legs together and bringing her down.

The leader of the poachers, red-faced and shaking from the blow to his groin drew the massive warhammer from his back and brought it over his head, aiming to smash her skull into paste. "Pleasure doing business with you!" he shouted, swinging it down.

June bucked and tried to roll herself out of the way, frantically sawing at the ropes around with a hidden knife, but it wasn't quick enough.

A blur of white filled her vision and something crunched loudly. Chancing a look, June gaped in surprise. Sun stood over her, easily holding back the warhammer with a bored look on his face. With simple clench of his fist, the stone head shattered into pieces and rained down on the ground. "Eight against one. That doesn't seem fair at all," he stated dully, before punching the lead poacher in the stomach, rocketing him into a tree thirty feet away. "Let me even the odds a little bit."

He jumped and spun, bringing his heel against another man's face, sending him flipping through the air, before deflecting a sword with his bracers and palming a poacher in the chest. A series of loud cracks rang out as the poacher's ribs snapped out of place and he slumped to the ground.

June finished cutting through the ropes around her legs and freed herself, snatching up one of the rock weights and hurling it into the stomach of a poacher. As he knelt, winded, she jumped off of his back and onto her mount, quickly slicing through the snares with her knife. When the last one snapped, June pointed at the remaining foes. "Get 'em, Nyla!" she barked viciously.

The shirshu snarled in reply, lashing out with her barbed tongue, rapidly striking the last three poachers. As they stiffened and fell over, June wrapped Nyla's head in a tight hug, rubbing her face into her mount's fur. "Those evil men won't hurt you anymore, my big snuffly-wuffly," She cooed lovingly, rubbing behind the shirshu's ears.

Sun snorted amusedly at the sight, picking through the unconscious bodies for money or spare equipment.

June faced him with a blank expression, watching him with curious dark eyes. "You came back. Why?" she asked bluntly.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Because I wanted to do something," he replied simply, stepping past her to get close to Nyla who shifted nervously. Carefully, Sun reached out and laid his hand on her head, petting her softly. The large animal rumbled happily, bringing her nose up to sniff his face, the small pink tendrils tickling his cheeks and making the blond smile. "That's all," he said quietly, dropping his hand and turning to leave.

June looked to her long-time companion, who was sniffing after the blond and pawing the ground, whining softly. "Hey, Sun, wait!" She called. Sun stopped and turned to face her with a curious expression. "With the attitudes these guys have, I bet someone put a price on their heads. I can't carry them all with me. I could use some help."

His deep blue eyes pierced through her, looking past her form as if examining her very soul. "How can I trust you to not just take everything, including the credit?" Sun asked softly and suspiciously, "After all, you stole from me when you thought I was asleep."

The bounty hunter licked her lips and sighed quietly. "Look, Sun…I apologize for that. I know I'm not the nicest person in world, but you came back and helped me even after I did that, and that doesn't make me feel good, alright? And you helped me save Nyla. You can get some of the cut for that."

He narrowed his eyes on her, stepping closer. And despite her mounted position, it was like Sun loomed over her. "If I do this with you, it's not as a subordinate. You don't order me around, and we get equal cuts of the profits, understand?" Sun stated firmly.

June smirked knowingly, holding her hand out. "Alright. Partners?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Sun glanced from her hand to her face, staring at her suspiciously. Slowly, he reached out and shook her hand. "Partners. For now."

 **Present Day…**

Sun yawned widely as he sat up, rubbing the bleariness out of his eyes as he woke to the grey dawn. Sunrise was just around the corner, but the blond bender was the only one awake. Katara and Sokka were snuggled up in their sleeping bags while Aang was curled up on Appa's tail and Ty Lee was cuddled up to him, using their shared capes as a blanket.

Smacking his lips softly, Sun gently pried Ty Lee's hands off of him, releasing the clasps of his cape and letting her cuddle it in his place. Carefully stepping over the others, he made his way through the trees towards a burbling stream nearby. He removed his clothes and armor, piling them under a nearby tree and dived into the water, coming up with a gasp. "Cold!"

Sun shook himself out and dunked his head under, vigorously washing his hair along with the rest of his body. Once he was clean, the blond bender stood in the center of the stream in the basic Waterbending stance, his eyes closed to really feel the water around him. Despite his preference for his personal style of Waterbending, after having found the 'original' too rigid despite being all about flowing, it was a good basis to have and a good way for moving meditation.

With his senses so focused on the forms and the feel of the water, Sun didn't notice the presence of another person.

Katara sat up in her sleeping bag, yawning and smacking her lips, looking around the campsite with sleep-blurred eyes. Seeing as she was the first one up, she'd take the chance to bathe and wake herself up before getting started on breakfast. Perhaps she'd even rouse Sun so that he could make them some of his relaxing tea, and they could chat without interference from the others?

Still sleepy, the Waterbender gathered her bathing supplies and wandered off towards a nearby stream, setting them near a tree as she disrobed. As Katara was reaching behind herself to pull off her undergarments, the strange splashing that filtered in to her ears made her look curiously around the tree. Her jaw dropped as she took in the sight of a naked Sun waist-deep in the water, the first few golden rays of the rising sun piercing through the leaves to catch the droplets that clung to his skin and his hair, making it glisten softly in the light.

Katara watched awestruck, unconsciously stepping out from behind the tree as Sun smoothly flowed through the forms, the water arcing around his body in response to his movements. Her eyes were fixed on his muscles that flexed and rippled under his tanned skin with every motion; his strength and power apparent through hard planes of his abdomen.

She gasped as he brought his hands over his head, a wave of water rising to cover him like a capsule. Katara could barely make out the shape of his arms as he spun them around inside the cover. With a sharp motion, the wave split around him, splashing into the water. Slowly, his swung his hand down low before bringing it up to his shoulder as if pointing at someone else in the stream, his face a picture concentration. To her amazement, the stream separated in front of him, flowing around the point of his hand and the rest of his body.

The move, while amazing, also confirmed the niggling thought in the back of Katara's mind: Sun was entirely naked under the water, and him splitting the stream revealed the entirety of his lower body to her.

Sun let his hand fall with a sigh, the stream closing back down around him as he breathed deeply…before jumping as a feminine voice muttered, "Wow…"

Katara flushed as she unintentionally spoke aloud and the blond bender whipped around to face her. His eyes went wide as he saw her standing on the bank. It was at that exact moment that the Waterbender recalled her semi-naked state and they simultaneously froze in shock.

Unconsciously, Sun's eyes traveled down Katara's underdressed form and back up. The months they had spent traveling, training and fighting had definitely worked well for the Tribal, adding a layer of muscle to her entire body and stripping away whatever baby-fat remained. She was well on her way along the path of transforming from a cute girl to strong, beautiful woman.

The still atmosphere shattered with an audible snap as Sun made a choked gurgling sound and dived under the water as Katara squeaked and rolled behind the tree. "What are you doing here?!" he shouted, hiding just under the water.

"I was going to take a bath!" she called back, her face burning as the rough bark dug into her back. "I didn't know anyone else was up!"

"Yeah, well, I am! I'm getting out, don't look!" Sun demanded embarrassedly, waiting a few seconds before emerging from the water and stepping onto the bank.

"I wouldn't do that!" Katara yelled in reply, sitting at the base of the tree with her hands over her eyes. She heard water splash as the blond bender exited the stream and bit her lip, her emotions warring inside of her. Her desire eventually won out over her embarrassment and Katara slowly leaned out from behind the trunk, just enough for one of her blue eyes to get an eyeful of Sun's well-sculpted body as he quickly pulled his pants on. Flushing, she drew back, one hand covering her mouth.

"Alright, I'm dressed!" Sun called hurriedly, walking back towards camp while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the path ahead of him. "I'm going back to camp!"

Katara waited until his footsteps faded before emerging, her face beet-red. She stumbled over to the stream and knelt on the bank, her mind filled with images of the blond bender naked. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her head back and dunked it in the cold water.

When Katara came back to the campsite, her hair still damp, she spotted Sun sitting next to fire, heating a kettle of water with a teapot sitting next to him. They immediately locked eyes and looked away, blushes coloring their cheeks. She sat down across from him, slowly preparing the ingredients for that morning's breakfast. He handed her a cup of tea, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

She took the cup with a muttered thanks and sat back, not enjoying the awkward silence between them at all, not when they usually conversed with ease.

"Sun," Katara spoke up softly, slowly rolling her tea between her hands. "We can't just _not_ talk to each other. We should talk about what happened back there."

"Nothing happened." he replied with a shrug, poking the fire with a stick. "Just an accident, is all."

The Waterbender frowned at the way he was avoiding her. "Sun, why won't you look at me?" As she said that, their blue eyes met. Katara felt blood rush to her cheeks as a naked image of the man sitting across from her flitted in front of her vision.

"That's why." He replied dryly, his own cheeks reddening. "Every time I glance in your direction I see…well, about what you're seeing. That makes it a bit hard to hold a conversation when you look at a person and see them in their underwear. It's probably worse for you since I was, well…not in my underwear."

If it was even possible, Katara felt her face darken even further. "Yeah, kinda…" She gulped quietly, leveling a steady glance at Sun. "I don't want things to be weird between us, Sun. Remember what Ty Lee and I did at the village being attacked by Hei-Bai? Let's do that."

He shrugged blithely. "That was because you two were being hostile, not because you saw each other without clothes on. But fine, whatever." Sun muttered, tossing his stick in the fire.

"Alright, I'll go first." Katara cleared her throat, feeling it tighten in anxiety. "Sun…I really like your blond hair. It matches your name and makes me happy when I look it at. That's…not weird, is it?"

Sun wiggled his hand. "A little weird, but not that bad, I guess. Okay, my turn." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Katara, I really like your dedication. It can be troublesome, but when you want something done, you get it done, and I like that."

The Waterbender smiled slightly. "I like how you can be mature but still have fun…unlike me," she muttered to herself-, "I'm glad to have someone else who's responsible with me on this crazy journey."

"Heh, you wouldn't have liked me as a kid, then," he replied with a small grin, "I like your eyes. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and with you, I really believe that. I like how open you are with how you feel, even if it's not exactly good feelings."

"I like your eyes, too," she responded shyly, playing with one of her hair loopies, "They're so bright and full of life, but also deep and intriguing."

"I like how you play with your hair when you feel shy," Sun said with a smile, making her drop her hair and blush, "I think it's really cute."

Katara blushed, before she bit her lip, hesitating to bring up the next feature. "I like how warm you are. It's like sitting next to a fire I know won't burn me and…well, I miss it. Ever since we…we haven't been as close as we were, you know?" She peered at him from lowered eyes that contained a glimmer of sadness and hurt.

The blond bender sighed and stood up from his spot and circled the fire, sitting down next to Katara with a warm smile growing on his lips. She quickly scooted closer to him, ending up almost halfway on his lap, leaning her head against his shoulder. What went unsaid was that they stopped being as close when Ty Lee had joined them, for what should be obvious reasons.

"I miss it too." He said quietly, settling his cheek on her hair. "You know, Katara, I'm not going to lie. I find you very attractive."

She blushed heavily, burying her face in his shoulder. "You're just saying that," Katara muttered into his vest.

"No, I'm not. Why do people say that?" he asked himself. "Look, if I didn't mean it, I wouldn't have said it. I think you're attractive Katara, and not just because of how you look, but all those other qualities I talked about earlier."

She sighed sadly. "I'm no one special Sun, I'm just a Water Tribal from the South Pole."

Sun shifted, pushing her up so that he could face her properly, frowning. "No, you're not just 'a Water Tribal.' You're Katara, a smart Waterbender, a responsible sister, a good cook and someone very special to me." He coughed in embarrassment, looking away with a flush to his face. "Since we're trying to not be awkward and stuff…"

Katara giggled nervously, feeling her heart race at their closeness. "I don't think that helped, exactly," she coughed lightly, "But, since we're being honest with each other…I've always thought you were handsome Sun. I mean, how couldn't I, really? You're so kind and caring and I just…I really like you, okay? I like being with to you like this and I want it to stay this way."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder, taking in his warmth and his scent as Sun did the same. "Now that we know this about each other, where do we go from here?" The blond bender asked quietly.

"I…I don't know, Sun," Katara murmured, pulling back to face him, "I like you, and I know you like me, but…you and Ty Lee…"

As if on cue, Ty Lee sat up with a wide yawn, stretching her arms over her head and blinking cutely. Hey sleepy eyes fell on them and she rose, dropping Sun's cape and stumbling over to them. "Cuddle time?" she asked tiredly, pushing Katara fully onto Sun's lap before sitting on top of her and wrapping her arms around both of them with a happy sigh.

"…It's complicated," Sun replied in a whisper.

The acrobat rubbed her cheek against Sun's with a small hum. "Hmm. What's complicated?"

"Our relationship," he said quietly.

"Meh," She groaned, grasping his chin and turning his face towards hers to peck the corner of his lips. "As long as whoever your betrothed is gives me a chance, I'm not going to waste my time holding myself back."

Katara glanced from Ty Lee to Sun. "Betrothed?" she asked in a small voice.

"That's what I mean by 'complicated,'" Sun answered dryly, before sighing, "Let me explain. A few years ago, I ended up in the North Pole while there was trouble going down. A splinter faction wanted to ally with the Fire Nation and save themselves, while the rest wanted to fight. I discovered that the splinter faction was being egged on by Fire Nation spies who wanted to push the Water Tribe into a civil war, leaving them wide open for an invasion. I did some investigating, exposed the whole thing to the chief, and ended up fighting all four spies at once when they attempted to assassinate me, the chief and his daughter."

…

" _Look, Chief Arnook, the evidence is irrefutable," Sun stated patiently, tapping the unrolled scroll on the desk. "The splinter faction is being supported by Fire Nation spies who want to start a civil war, it's all right here in writing."_

 _He stood in front of a large wooden desk, the front carved with the symbol of the Water Tribe. Large furs and pelts were draped artistically around the room and on the floor, the soft white light of the moon filtering in through the windows. Chief Arnook stood behind his desk, leaning on it with a dark look, while his daughter sat on a pile of cushions behind him, carefully touching the leaves of a small flowering plant next to her._

" _And how am I supposed to know that this evidence is real and not something you forged, stranger?" The chief rebuked, leaning on his desk with a suspicious face. "How do I know_ you _aren't a Fire Nation spy yourself?"_

 _Sun rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Because a spy wouldn't give away his own plans, obviously." He replied._

 _Arnook waved his hand dismissively. "I personally know the men and women you name in this scroll, and they're all good people. I won't have some mysterious stranger debasing them, especially one who has been meeting with my daughter on her nightly walks." Behind him, a girl with long white hair in an elaborate bun blushed heatedly, as did the blond in front of his desk. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? That I would just let my only daughter walk around unsupervised, even in my own tribe?"_

" _That has nothing to do with this." Sun denied quickly._

" _Oh, but I think it has_ everything _to do with this," The Chief replied with a dark look. "I think you want ingratiate yourself to my daughter, and what better way to do that then by looking like a hero? Well, I won't allow it."_

 _The blond scowled. "Just like you won't allow her to learn Waterbending, despite knowing she could be even more powerful than Pakku?" He returned harshly._

 _That took Arnook aback. "What?" He glanced back at Yue, who refused to meet his gaze. "You know I forbid you from the Bending arts for your own safety, Yue - no, this is not what this discussion is about!" The Chief slammed his hands on his desk. "_ You _are the issue here, stranger! I'll not have you besmirching the name of my friends and filling my daughter's head with dangerous ideas! I'm calling the guards."_

 _As Sun opened his mouth to protest and Arnook to call the guards, a bored voice spoke up. "By Agni, would you two shut up?" Someone complained, stepping around the entrance to the Chief's large office. He was a lean man, with dark hair and dark eyes, wearing tight-fitting dark clothing. "Listening to you idiots argue is giving me a headache."_

" _What the - Kota?" Arnook asked in shock. "What are you doing here?"_

" _What do you think?" The now-named Kota sneered, pulling a pair of long knives from the inside of his clothes. "I alway knew you were an idiot, but to be_ this _much of a dullard? And to think, we thought the Northern Water Tribe more dangerous than the South."_

 _Sun entered a fighting stance, cracking his knuckles. "This might not be the time to say this, but…I told you so." He muttered to the Chief._

 _Arnook stared at the Fire Nation spy with horror written on his features, his daughter sharing the expression. "Why would you do this, Kota? We've been friends for years!" He pleaded for understanding, but only found contempt._

" _And they've been the most painful years of my life, listening to you prattle on about your daughter and the strength of your tribe. By Agni, my self-control wouldn't have lasted another week the way you go on!" Kota exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "I should thank you, Goldie. You're giving me a chance to take all my pent-up rage out on an idiot without all that running around and subtlety crap I've dealt with these past couple of years. Even though you managed to do that because one of my idiot subordinates forgot to burn his damn orders!"_

 _A large thump echoed through the room as a wide figure uncoiled itself from the roof and dropped to ground. "I said I was sorry, Kota." The large man grumbled, drawing a sword from the sheath on his back. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"_

" _Not the point, you fat sack of komodo-rhino dung!" The spy shouted irritably, "It's common sense, and don't think you're escaping a reprimand!"_

 _Arnook slammed his hand down on his desk, seething with rage and betrayal. "Do you think I'll let you get away with this?!" he shouted, "This will not go unpunished!"_

 _Two more shapes dropped from the high windows, landing on the floor and unsheathing blades that gleamed in the moonlight. "Bluster all you want, you're not leaving this room alive." Kota replied blithely. "The words of a dead man mean very little. Now, make this easy for us; don't struggle and it'll be quick."_

 _The four spies lunged, making Yue cry out in fear and cover her face. A loud clang rang out, and the Princess peeked out from behind her arms to find the weapons wielded by the spies held up by a long golden rod that stretched across the room._

" _I'm not going to make this easy," Sun stated firmly, having pulled his staff out and extended it to protect both the Chief and Yue, blocking the sword from the fat spy at the same time._

 _There was a moment of stunned silence at the appearance of the other-worldly weapon, before Arnook grabbed his paper weight made of carved blue stone and smashed it into Kota's face. Sun pulled his staff back, knocking the spies off-balance and shoving the end in the fat one's stomach before spinning around to kick him in the chest, dropping low to avoid a slash from another assassin._

 _His staff shrunk to normal size as he spun it, deflecting blows from their blades with loud clashes of metal and sparks. Sun dodged around a stab, catching the sword under his arm and ripping the weapon away, jumping and spinning to knee the assassin in the head, sending him into a wall. As he landed, the blond turned and launched his staff, the pole zipping through the air to impact into Kota's chest, making him collapse to the ground._

 _Arnook and the last assassin paused in surprise, but the Chief recovered first and disarmed the woman, throwing her knife aside before spinning her around and snapping her neck with a brief but brutal action._

 _The fat spy pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his dropped sword and charging at Sun's unprotected back completely silently. He stumbled as the ice making up the floor melted underneath his feet, a tendril of water rising and wrapping around his body to freeze him in place. Yue, her face a picture of fierce concentration, flowed through the motions and whipped the spy in the face with a water whip, knocking him unconscious._

 _The blond bender saw these events play out and gave the Princess an appreciative smile and a thumb's-up, making her blush and stare at her hands in wonder._

" _Yue…" Arnook muttered, seeing his daughter use Waterbending for the first time. "What about your health? You know bending is dangerous, due to your condition."_

 _The Water Princess fingered a lock of her white hair pensively, before dropping it and fixing her father with a firm glare. "I won't let it rule my life, father. If I'm not willing to put my life on the line for the people I care for, then I don't deserve to be Chief of the Northern Water Tribe." She stated, before giving Sun a small smile. "Sun taught me that."_

 _The Chief gave the blond a cautious look, before sighing. "It seems I owe you an - look out!"_

 _One of the assassins had risen from the floor, clutching his chest and coughing, He glared at them with infuriated brown eyes, drawing his hands back. "For Fire Lord Ozai!" He shouted, unleashing twin streams of flames from his fists._

 _Sun exhaled harshly and hopped forward, throwing his arms up and spinning them in front of himself. Air swirled violently in front of him, sucking the fire into itself before dispelling in a blast of wind, reducing the fire to so much smoke._

 _Arnook dived to floor, taking a dropped knife before popping back up and hurling it. The blade spun through the air before piercing through the spy's eye and into his brain, his body collapsing to the floor a second later. His gaze turned to Sun, who was smiling and brushing his hands off. "You…you're an Airbender."_

 _The blond bender shrugged, still smiling. "Not a very good one. The air shield's one of the only moves I can successfully do." His eyes flickered behind the Princess, his eyes going wide. "Yue!"_

 _Kato grabbed her roughly around the shoulders, the edge of his remaining knife pressed against her throat. "Move and the girl dies!" he shouted, although it was somewhat muffled by his bruised and swollen face._

 _Arnook paled and put his hands in the air. "It's over, Kato, you lost. Let my daughter go." He tried to order, though it came out as more of a plea._

 _The Fire Nation spy spat in contempt. "Ha! I know as soon as I let her go, you'll kill me before I can even drop my knife. So no, I'm not letting her go." He panted, his eyes flickering between Sun and the Chief. "The Fire Lord will have my head for this failure, and you'll kill me anyway…might as well make you suffer - what in Agni's name are you doing?!"_

 _His shout was directed at the blond bender, who was waving his hands in a vaguely mystical manner, almost as if he was bending, though there were no indications that he was. "Nothing important," Sun replied easily, still waving his hands. "Don't worry about it."_

" _What, are you trying to-to 'Mindbend' me, or something?" Kato asked, unaware of the rustling behind him. "This all your fault, you blond bastard. Everything was going according to plan until you showed up!"_

 _Sun shrugged, his arms going still. "Yeah, I have a way of…entangling the plans of others," he quipped, throwing his fingers open._

 _The Fire Nation spy looked confused for a second, before shaking it off and moving to slit Yue's throat…only to find that he couldn't move his arm. He glanced down to find long, thick vines slithering around his entire body, constricting him to the point he could barely twitch. The vines pulled his arm back and away from the Princess, allowing her to slip out of his grasp._

 _Yue darted away from Kato, pausing to turn and kick him in the groin before diving into her father's arms. Sun had his vines tighten to the point that the spy could no longer breathe, before letting them grow slack and dropping the unconscious man to the floor._

 _Arnook glanced between the now-overgrown plant and the blond bender, his eyes wide. "I've never heard of anyone Plantbending before," he muttered, mostly to himself. "And you were Airbending just before…who and what are you, Sun? Are you…the Avatar?"_

 _Sun shook his head. "No, I'm not the Avatar. I'm something else entirely. It's a long story." He replied briefly, his staff zipping to him from the floor with a flick of his hand._

 _The Chief frowned as his guards piled into the room, leveling spears at the one who had tried to warn him and defended him and his daughter. "Point those somewhere else and take these men into custody!" He ordered, waving at the unconscious and dead Fire Nation spies. Turning to Sun, he said, "You have done me a great service, even though I acted like a fool and accused you wrongly. I need to deal with the fallout of there being spies among my village, but if you and my daughter will head to the living room, I will be there in due time. There's a very important conversation we need to have."_

…

"After we talked and I explained who I was, where I was from and why I'm here, he realized that since I can bend multiple elements without being the Avatar, it's possible for that to be passed down to my children; unlike the Avatar." Sun explained with a shrug. "He offered me anything I asked for after I saved their lives. I asked that he let Yue learn how to properly Waterbend; not just the bastardized version I barely saw when I spied on the Master."

Ty Lee hummed in thought. "He seemed so against it when you talked about it earlier. How'd you get him to let her do it?"

"Well you see, when Yue was born, she was premature and on the verge of death. Her mother actually died giving birth to her. Arnook, not wanting to lose all of his family in one fell swoop, beseeched the Spirit of the Moon, Tui, to save her life. She accepted, and had him dip Yue into the water of her home, blessing her with a portion of her own life force, saving Yue's life and turning her hair white." The blond bender relayed, before coughing and reaching for the waterskin. However, both Katara and Ty Lee were sitting on his lap, making it hard for him to do more than wave his arms fruitlessly.

Katara reached over and grabbed the water, passing it to Sun, who downed a good portion of it. "You were saying?" She asked interestedly.

Sun cleared his throat. "Anyway, with Yue being blessed like she was, it gave her immense chi. She was a natural when it came to Waterbending, much like you, Katara." He pointed out. "With her being pretty much the first-ever recorded case of being saved by a spirit like that, no one knew exactly what would happen if she took up bending. They figured that the bit of life force Tui gifted her was finite and if she used it to Waterbend, it would shorten her life."

Ty Lee frowned, "Chi doesn't work like that," she muttered, "it's not like stamina or anything, it's more like blood."

"Exactly," the blond bender nodded in agreement. "After I explained how chi actually works, he allowed Yue to learn Waterbending, along with myself. I was there for several months, and while we trained, we closer and closer until Arnook betrothed us. He recognized that some people would want, if not myself, then my children to be used as weapons, and wanted to head that off. Yue realized that it's more than likely I'll be declared some sort of lord after we take down Ozai, because we _will_ take him down, which would lead to many offers for political marriages."

"And she sent you out to go find suitable women that would marry for love rather than a political advantage." Ty Lee finished knowingly. "Which is why I think she'll give me a spot."

Sun sighed quietly. "Yeah, hopefully."

Noticing his discomfort, Katara voiced a statement, "You don't sound happy about that."

"It feels unfair to me." He replied with a stony face. "Why should Ty Lee or another woman have to share me with someone else, just to protect me?"

The Water Tribal and the acrobat grew quiet. "What if they think you're worth it?" She asked softly, staring into Sun's deep blue eyes.

Sun chuckled in a resigned way. "Then who am I to say no? If you really wanted to be with me, even knowing of my situation, I wouldn't be able to deny you." He said truthfully.

Katara turned as best she could with Ty Lee in her lap and hugged Sun tightly. "I don't know what to think, Sun. This situation is so strange…can I have some time to think about it?" She asked.

"It's not a big issue, Katara," Sun replied softly. "Take all the time you need. I want you to know that I don't blame if you don't want to be with me, I completely understand. I just hope we can still be friends."

The Waterbender gently pushed the acrobat off of her, before turning back to the blond bender and kissing his cheek. "I'm not saying 'no', Sun, but I'm not saying yes, either. I just need some time to think." She got up off of his lap and bustled around the campsite, preparing breakfast.

Ty Lee took Katara's place, throwing her arms around Sun's shoulders. "You know I love you, right?" She asked quietly.

"I do. You know I love you, too." He replied, settling his hands on her waist. "I have since I was young."

She leaned in close, her lips next to his ear. "I think you're worth it, Naruto," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "I want to be with you, and I don't care who I have to share you with as long as you love me back."

Naruto cleared his throat quietly, his eyes wet. "I love you, Ty Lee. I won't try to change your mind because I want to be with you, too. All I want is to be worthy of you."

Ty Lee kissed him tenderly, trying to convey all that she felt through her lips. Pulling back, she wiped her thumbs under his eyes, clearing away the droplets. "You already are." She whispered, hugging him tightly.

They embraced for a several minutes as Katara focused on making breakfast, her mind lost in her thoughts. As his emotions settled, Sun kissed Ty Lee softly before taking her in his arms and standing, setting her down. "Do you want to help me wake Aang and Sokka up?" He asked, smirking mischievously. "There's a stream nearby with _very_ cold water."

She bounced out of his arms, smiling. "I'll get Aang, you get Sokka!"

Katara watched as they carefully dragged the other two members of the group away, shaking her head in amusement. Seemed like the day would start with a splash.

…

…

…

 **A/N: So yeah, that all happened. There was a bit more depth to the explanation about Sun's situation, a flashback about the beginning of his time with June, some hijinks that turned all serious and shit, and another flashback! Yay!**

 **Kurogane7: Well, nothing like a few flashbacks to deepen the story.**

 **Funny story: I actually 'finished' this chapter about three weeks ago. I wasn't super satisfied with it, and it was half as long, but I was tired so I thought, 'fuck it, that'll do'.**

 **And then I accidentally deleted most of it.**

 **Kurogane7: I will give you props Sol, you are deserving of being, as TVTropes puts it, a Determinator.**

 **So, that pissed me off something fierce and discouraged me at the same time, so I cooled off by writing the next chapter of The Life With Monster Girls (which is out now, go check it out!) I came back a couple days ago and started on this chap again; funnily enough, I actually like how this chapter has turned out now. Accidentally deleting it was a good thing. I added a bunch more stuff, like the Water Nation flashback (which was summarized in one long as paragraph in the first draft), and an ending that wasn't somewhat dark and discouraging.**

 **As I said, I was tired.**

 **Also, I always wondered why Yue wasn't a Waterbender. You'd think being given part of the Moon Spirit's, that is, the whole reason Waterbenders** _ **can bend**_ **, life-force, would make someone a good bender. As such, Yue is a Waterbender, a good one, because her not being one was stupid.**

 **Have you ever noticed that she's always referred to as 'Princess' Yue, even though her father is the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe? And that Katara, being in the exact same position (daughter of the chief) is never called a Princess?**

 **Shit's weird. Or just poorly put-together.**

 **Also, I skipped over the Divide, since it was a filler episode and completely unnecessary, as well as the Storm and the Blue Spirit, since Sun and Ty Lee have money, so no need to get a job, and both know of medicine, so the fevers Sokka and Katara got were taken care of short order. I thought I'd make some filler of my own, so here you go.**

 **Kurogane7: I can agree on that. I'm not exactly a fan of filler episodes unless they're done good and proper…and that is why I prefer the manga to the anime.**

 **You and me both.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, with a big thanks to Kurogane7 and NorthSouthGorem for being my unofficial and oft-used betas. Why not check them out? We all work on our stories together, because us authors gotta stick together.**

 **Kurogane7: True that.**

 **Stay Awesome.**

 **~Soleneus**

 **P.S.: I'm just about entering my finals week. Surprisingly, I'm not sucking at Math this quarter, which is half a miracle in itself. Yay for me! Time to go drink alcohol!**

 **Stay Awesome Some More.**

 **~still Soleneus**


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